Women

A woman walks alone on a beach; a boat floats in the water

Treading Forbidden Grounds

When a group of 20 women living in Pemba, Zanzibar started a diving business to provide for their families, people started asking questions. In Zanzibar, women are expected to stay home taking care of their husbands and children. Defying expectations, the divers are proving that women can be entrepreneurs too. The divers shared their stories with journalists who work for community radio stations and are participating in Internews’ Boresha Habari (Better News) project. Ali Mwadini, Internews media trainer in Zanzibar, supports four community radio stations and guides journalists in story mapping, identifying their audiences, and sharpening their interviewing skills. Journalists also learn the necessary skills to cover gender issues in their reporting, challenging stereotypes and highlighting women as drivers of change. They are trained in in-depth coverage of issues such as gender-based violence, early marriage, and family abandonment. Zuwena Iddi Ali, the Chairperson of the women’s diving cooperative, was invited by Mwadini to tell her story at a training for community radio journalists. Married with six children, Ali goes to fishing camps and deep diving every month for eight to ten days and earns up to $40 from selling her catch. Her income helped pay for a new roof for her house and a sewing machine for her daughter. Women in Pemba are making a living through diving, defying local expectations.The women’s husbands when interviewed said that while they were initially concerned about their wives’ new endeavors, they soon saw the positive impact the activity had on their families. Additionally, the community’s Imam explained from a religious perspective that women can take part in business, pointing out that the prophet Mohamed’s wife was an entrepreneur. Following the training, Haji Nassor Mohammed, a journalist working with Zanzibar Leo Newspaper, wrote a story on the divers, which was published in September. The story drew mixed reaction from community members, which roughly fell into two groups. Some people felt that husbands in Pemba were falling short in fulfilling their families’ daily needs thus forcing women like Zuwena to engage in work that was previously a taboo for women. This group wanted journalists to write stories that would encourage husbands to take more responsibility to provide for their families. Others praised Zuwena as a courageous woman who was proving that being a woman is not a barrier to engaging in economic activities. They see Zuwena as a role model to the change that Pemba needs. Some members of a WhatsApp group for journalists from Zanzibar praised the journalists telling the story of the divers as good for women’s empowerment, and that Zuwena’s activities would encourage other women. Mwadini stresses that it’s important to train journalists to report stories that go against societal norms in order to challenge how people think about issues, particularly when it comes to women’s roles and their treatment. Internews’ project in Tanzania, Boresha Habari, is funded by USAID, and implemented in partnership with FHI 360. It seeks to support an open, inclusive environment in which media and civil society provide accurate and impartial information that promotes participation, inclusion, and accountability. A core focus of this activity is the engagement and empowerment of women and youth in order to elevate their voices, influence, and issues in the public sphere as both producers and consumers of information. (Banner image: A woman walks on the beach in Zanzibar. Credit Paolo Lucciola/CC)

A woman speaks into a microphone in a radio studio

Profile: Farida Rahim Azizi, Radio Director, Afghanistan

Ever since Farida Rahim Aziz first established her radio station in 2013 in Jowzjan, Afghanistan, she has never looked back – even though the years that followed were burdened with hardship and challenges. “In 2016, the Taliban threatened me and told me to stop broadcasting radio programs about women’s right issues, such as violence against women. I was forced to wear a burqa for my own safety and all our female employees left. But I did not give up.” Farida had to relocate the station multiple times, but under her leadership, Radio Saraish continues, producing content and broadcasting to audiences in Jowzjan and Sar-e-Pul. Radio Saraish is one of the 17 women-led radio stations of the Salam Watandar Radio Network, supported by Internews’ Rasana Program. These stations have produced and broadcast more than 400 radio reports and feature stories, covering topics that relate to women in local communities. “The support of the Rasana program was very important, as it gave us an opportunity to recruit a female journalist and build her capacity to reflect the voices of women in our community. The reports we have produced under Rasana so far have had tangible impact on our society and brought change in the minds of people, as they all focus on women’s issues,” said Farida. “For example, when we broadcast a report on women drivers and the absence of driving schools for women in Jowzjan, it created great interest. Some weeks later a driver training course was conducted for women from which 30 passed out successfully – the first female drivers of Jowzjan!” “These are the achievements that motivate me to keep running the radio station even though we often face difficult times due to security issues or financial problems. In the meantime, I will continue to work as a leader of women in the media and encourage other Afghan women to do the same.” • • • Internews’ Rasana project in Afghanistan is supported by USAID. (Banner photo: Farida Rahim Azizi, Director of Radio Saraish in Jowzjan Province, Afghanistan. Credit: Internews)

A woman types on a laptop, while two men and another woman watch.

From Student to Social Innovator

When Lima Madomi was a computer student in Afghanistan, she set her sights on becoming a technologist, despite living in an environment where few women get such chances. Now, she has not only become accomplished in her field, she’s gone further and become a well-recognized social innovator. Lima’s journey was supported by her participation in iLabs, an Internews project that convenes local experts in the fields of ICT, media, government, and civil society to work collaboratively to identify technology solutions to social problems. Lima, who was a budding social innovator in her own right, participated in the 2017 iLabs, and has since gone on to turn some of the social innovation ideas conceived into actual products that address social change. At the 2018 Social Innovation Conference, organized by TechNation in partnership with Internews to mark four years of iLabs, Lima was one of four female alumni who were selected to present their experiences. “iLabs gave me the platform to network with other developers and join forces to turn our ideas into actual products,” said Lima. A primary approach of iLabs was to put female developers on equal footing with their male counterparts. “There are not enough spaces where young female innovators can come together to learn and develop. It was at the iLabs that I got empowered to actually start developing workable solutions to the identified problem statements,” said Lima. The Social Innovation Conference also featured a Master Class and Global Showcase by two acclaimed social innovators from the sub-region. “I was very inspired by the stories of products being developed by other young women like me in Pakistan, India, and Bahrain, among others. I felt that this is only the beginning of what I, a female social innovator, can do here in Afghanistan.” Developing Innovative Resources for Local Needs Lima is now turning her attention to two products she has been developing over the past couple of months – an online bookshop, and a database of resources for local technologists. “As a woman, I’m able to develop solutions that take the unique challenges of Afghan girls into account, hence an e-shop where I could safely connect book lovers such as myself. The iLabs platform taught us how to take the context into consideration and develop products that respond to the needs of our target group, which is what I’m doing now.” Lima also drew her inspiration from homegrown products by Afghan female innovators just like herself: “To see other women who started out like me, showcasing their products that have made the news internationally, such as Asan-UP and Hujj Rahnuma, was a big inspiration for me.” Other young women in Lima’s cohort who have been able to benefit from the iLabs platform include Nargis Qaderi, who developed the winning App Hidden Angels to help local charities securely and ethically track and monitor the street children they support. • • • Innovation Labs (iLabs) was launched and is managed by Internews under the USAID-funded Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP), co-implemented with Counterpart International.

Two groups of students, male and female, stand on the grass under a tree.

Sexual Harassment Limits Women’s Advancement in Tanzanian Media

This disturbing claim, and many others like it, surfaced in research commissioned by Internews in Tanzania on women’s role in media in the country. Women who aim for media careers face rampant discrimination, a lack of opportunities, and demands for transactional sex. These threats aren’t just in the workplace, but often face university students as well. “One of our goals is to empower women journalists to become editors,” said Angela Nicoara, Internews Chief of Party in Tanzania. Internews’ Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Strategy prioritizes work that transforms relationships of power and advances women’s roles in media. “But our conversations with women showed that sexual exploitation at universities, including journalism schools, and in media houses was seen as a main obstacle of being employed or promoted.” University students and lecturers reported that transactional or coerced sex between female students and male lecturers occurs with some frequency. A female student stated that she received a failing grade from a male lecturer because she had refused his sexual advances. Some universities in Tanzania have sexual harassment explicitly included in their code of conduct, while others do not. Many students and lecturers alike were not sure if their school had a sexual harassment policy and where to go to report sexual misconduct, and agreed that the problem isn’t talked about publicly. So Internews collaborated with the University of Dar es Salaam to create public service announcement videos (PSAs) that raised the topic. One video opens with the question: “How do we combat Sexual Harassment?” “First, we talk about it. The issue of sexual harassment is like a taboo. It’s been talked behind closed doors … in low voices,” says Sophia Ndibalema, Assistant Lecturer at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at UDSM, in the PSA. The PSAs discuss different forms harassment can take, and assert that students should not stay silent about the topic. “If you experience or see sexual harassment, speak up. Someone will listen,” ends one PSA. The videos are intended as a jumping off point for further discussion and action. In June Internews will convene a roundtable at the university with students, women lawyers and women activists to discuss the next steps of a campaign. “Our goal is spark more conversation and support local CSOs that take the lead in raising awareness and changing the dynamic for women journalism students and professionals,” said Nicoara. Key Findings: Gender Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Derails Careers Excerpted from the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Analysis Report, conducted by FHI 360 in partnership with Internews Women are less likely than men to pursue higher level journalism diplomas and degrees Women and men are segmented into different journalism career paths: Men occupy more prestigious reporting positions, while women are lower-level reporters or presenters with little decision-making power. Women’s domestic responsibilities reduce opportunities to participate in work and school Female students who live at home, and women professionals generally, are responsible for domestic tasks such cooking, cleaning, and caring for children or younger siblings. Perceptions of women and men in media affect their career success: Men are perceived as adventurous, proactive, and decisive. Women are perceived as having little self-confidence, both as media professionals and sources of information. Negative stereotypes about women journalists create gender-segregated workstreams Many people have a perception that women are not capable of reporting on “hard” news or doing “tough” assignments. Perception of danger inhibits skill-building opportunities for female journalism students Campus TV/radio studios and computer lab are dominated by male students and lecturers, and female students may fear harassment or be prohibited by their families from staying after hours to build or practice skills in these spaces. Toxic masculinity reinforces sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) throughout media and journalism . . . Internews’ work with media and civil society in Tanzania is supported by USAID and implemented in partnership with FHI 360.

Four young Afghan women look at a cell phone in one of the girl's hands.

In Study of Social Media in Afghanistan, Women Report Mixed Feelings

Wedding invitations in Afghanistan don’t bear the names of the women invited – they are only invited under the name of their husbands, or male relatives. In markets, women’s names are not spoken. Even on burial tombs, a woman may be referred to only as the wife or daughter of a man, not by her own name. With the hashtag #whereismyname, Tahmina Arian and a group of friends – young, newly graduated Afghan women – rallied attention to this common practice last summer on Facebook and Twitter, starting a conversation in the country and protesting the Afghan custom of erasing women's names. Social media is still in its infancy in Afghanistan, with a small and mostly homogenous user base of educated, relatively wealthy, predominately male users and only hundreds of Afghanistan-based public Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. But while small, it holds opportunity for engagement and expression. Without any trappings of traditional power or social capital, the group of young women started a public debate they would otherwise have no means to convene, without the platform offered by social media. These opportunities are among the findings revealed in a new report, Social Media in Afghanistan: Users and Engagement, prepared by Altai Consulting for Internews. By mapping Afghan influencers online and surveying users about their comfort with, reasons for, and use of social media, the report paints a picture and offers a deep repository of data on the changing nature of social media in Afghanistan and how it may shape public discourse in the future. Women’s Rights and Social Engagement Tahmina and the women behind #whereismyname are new to protests, but activists with years of experience have found similar power in expanding their advocacy online. Wazhma Frogh, a women’s rights activist, member of the High Peace Council, and the director of the Research Institute for Women, Peace and Security, uses Twitter not only to bring to light women’s rights issues in Afghanistan, but to share her views on other current events in the country with her 97,000 followers. She started using Twitter during 2013’s Open Jirga, when citizens could use their Facebook and Twitter platforms to submit questions for the televised debates. Wazhma said that in 2013 political representation was still scant on Twitter, but since then she notes that all relevant political stakeholders in Afghanistan have grown accustomed to using Twitter, an observation backed up in the report, which identifies Twitter as a more “official” channel dominated by politicians and media accounts. For Wazhma, this means that her words carry weight and legitimacy; other members of the peace council are aware of the reach of her voice on social media. It can be difficult to enumerate how social campaigns affect change directly, but they can create conversations that with momentum can translate to real life interactions. Indicative of the nascent relationship between online and traditional media in Afghanistan, Wazhma can point to TV and radio interviews that have resulted because of topics she’s posted about online. Harassment and Violence Online At the same time, the opportunities for women’s engagement online run parallel to a harsh reality for women in Afghanistan – intense harassment is prevalent for women, shapes their interactions online and offline, and shows little sign of abatement. Social media users in Afghanistan routinely make derogatory, discriminatory or even violent comments in reaction to certain content. Tahmina of the #whereismyname campaign receives lurid messages from strangers constantly and has been groped in the street. Wazhma regularly receives threats. They aren’t the only women to experience online harassment – it is so prevalent that women in universities do not share their real names in class, as they do not want men to harass them or find them again online, where social media is routinely used to question a woman’s integrity and respectability. And for the majority of women who are more private users of social media, using the platforms not for advocacy but for simple social interactions and information gathering, fears of public shaming or harassment, along with norms of Afghan society, shape their use. Indeed, almost 20% of female respondents declare being Friends only with same-sex relatives on Facebook – and 35% of female respondents declare only being Friends with relatives on Facebook. This reflects the well-documented wariness of Afghan women to interact with individuals beyond their direct family on social media, as they are targets of harassment. On the other hand, 67% of men declare being friends with a mixed-gender group of people that include both friends and family. The study’s findings suggest Afghan women have a complicated relationship with social media – they see the dangers, but also there is freedom for them on social media that simply isn’t available elsewhere. Social media is perceived to have had an overall positive effect on social issues by all private users surveyed, but perhaps surprisingly, women are more likely to perceive a positive effect than men. When it comes to privacy, 69% think it has had a positive effect on privacy, and again women are more likely to think so. This may be counterintuitive, as women are wary of having their information available online and feel vulnerable to harassment, but it also means there is an avenue for individuals to interact with people without the scrutiny of one’s family, for example. A Wider Snapshot of Social Media in Afghanistan Beyond gender dynamics, Social Media in Afghanistan: Users and Engagement is an unprecedented current examination of the development and influence of social media on open expression and social change in Afghan society. Findings, which can be explored more deeply in the report and accompanying data, include: Social media users are homogenous and concentrated on Facebook Users are predominantly young, urban and educated. Internet access remains the main barrier to social media access. 95% of social media users have a Facebook account. More than 80% of social media users access their accounts solely through their smartphone. Social media is filled with current affairs, but users would rather engage with entertainment and sports topics Media organizations have invested in social media enthusiastically as a new platform for their content, dominating the pages found online along with government, politics, and elections-related pages. The content that garners the most audience engagement, however, relates to sports, entertainment or national pride Social media is an extension of one’s private network first and a source of information second Interaction is primarily with existing family and friends, limiting direct engagement with individuals and ideas outside of established social networks. Awareness of content related to current affairs is high; mobilization through social media is much lower Mobilizing users through social media for a specific cause faces many hurdles, but the practice of reporting wrongdoing through social media is common and is the most direct impact social media has on Afghan society. For example, 62% surveyed believe social media has had a positive effect on corruption, which is frequently reported on social media. . . . Social Media in Afghanistan: Users and Engagement was produced by Altai Consulting for Internews, with support from Counterpart International under the USAID-funded Afghan Civic Engagement Program (ACEP). Laura Lindamood is Internews Director of Communications.

A woman sits with her hands covering her face.

In the DRC, Advocating an End to Impunity in Gender-Based Violence Cases

In the conflict-torn Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a big step was taken in the fight against impunity in sexual violence cases during the United Nations campaign, “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.” The two main women’s media organizations in DRC teamed up with Internews to conduct forums and talk shows with the goal of improving reporting on the issue and bringing the debate to the public’s attention. The issue of impunity was brought to the forefront by the arrest of eighteen members of the “Army of Jesus” (l’Armée de Jésus), a militia led by Frédéric Batumike, a member of the South Kivu provincial Parliament. They are accused of abducting and raping at least 46 young girls, aged 8 months to 12 years old, around Kavumu from 2013 to 2016. Kavumu is a small city located near Bukavu, South Kivu’s capital city. Most of the victims were taken to Panzi hospital, a unique health facility in Bukavu renowned for the treatment of survivors of sexual violence and complex gynecological injuries, but at least two died from their injuries. The militants believe that the blood from the sexual assaults of virgins give them supernatural protection from bullets during conflicts. The arrests were a turning point as these crimes are often not prosecuted. The trial opened in a military court on November 9. Threats against witnesses have been reported. Batumike’s lawyers also tried to deny competence to the military court. Although the Congolese central government has become more involved in ending impunity for sexual violence, their efforts are often not supported by actions of public institutions. Kavumu’s trial is therefore monitored by human rights and women’s rights associations and the international community. NGOs such as Trial, Physicians for Human Rights and Panzi Foundation are advocating internationally on this case for ending impunity for sexual abuse. With Internews support, women journalists, members of the Association des Femmes de Médias du Sud Kivu (AFEM), reported how Kavumu’s citizens were dealing with the trial and the work of local associations and community based organizations to prevent sexual violence. With partner organizations, Internews held forums to discuss the issue of impunity in addressing sexual violence.On November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, AFEM leaders participated in a forum, organized in Kavumu, by Freedom House, the Carter Center and the American Bar Association. Citizens of Kavumu were able to discuss the threats and opportunities of the trial with the prosecutor, police senior officials and members of the South Kivu government. Internews recorded the debate and with AFEM produced a radio program – Café Presse – that is available on the Internews DRC radio program exchange tool. It is being broadcast during the 16 days of activism campaign on six main South Kivu radio stations. In Kinshasa, two other talk shows on women’s rights will be produced in collaboration with Union Congolaise des Femmes de Médias (Congolese Union of Women Media Professionals - UCOFEM). On December 10, International Human Rights Day and the end date of the “16 days of Activism” campaign to eliminate violence against women, Internews will close with the production of a talk show with Louise Mushobekwa, DRC’s minister of Human Rights, human rights defenders and women activists. The show will be broadcast nationwide. These activities were funded by the Swiss cooperation and USAID.

‘The Goal is to Intimidate Us’

Filipina journalist Maria Ressa was wrapping up a day’s reporting early this year when she opened Facebook and saw the chilling post: “I want Maria Ressa to be raped repeatedly to death, I would be so happy if that happens when martial law is declared, it would bring joy to my heart.” For Ressa, a former CNN war correspondent who has been the target of a vicious campaign of online harassment since President Rodrigo Duterte began consolidating power in 2016, the threat was nothing new. After a series of stories the Manila-based journalist wrote about government corruption on Rappler, the online news site she heads, Nessa said she was getting as many as 90 hate messages an hour, most specifically targeting her as a woman. What was new was what happened next. Marshalling her talents as an online journalist, Ressa was able to track down the threats. They were coming from a 22-year-old university student using a fake account to harass Ressa. The man was forced to call her and apologize, and he is facing disciplinary action by the university. It was a rare victory for a woman reporter facing harassment. Across the world, powerful cultural stigmas and a lack of faith that authorities will act upon complaints keep women journalists from reporting sexual intimidation and assault. While numerous international groups have reported individual instances of sexual assault directed against women journalists over the years, the sort of methodological research that quantifies other types of attacks against the press, such as murders and imprisonments, is non-existent when it comes to violence against women. “It’s atrocious,” Ressa said. “It’s something I wouldn’t have thought possible, but this sort of open hatred of women, these threats, are climbing. Sexism and misogyny have escalated in the past year, and women journalists asking hard questions are targeted. The goal is to intimidate us. The goal is to stop us from asking hard questions. And yet women are afraid of reporting assaults. They fear being perceived as vulnerable or denied future assignments. And they fear, quite reasonably, not being taken seriously.” A journalist, training with Internews in 2007, interviews players at a mall video arcade. Women reporters consistently report harassment is part of their jobs, but little women-specific training exists. Photo by Josh Josh Estey for InternewsWhile threats to women reporters in Southeast Asia are as difficult to quantify as anywhere else in the world, women working in the region say they seem to come from everywhere, grim and terrifying. There is the groping at a press scrum, hands on your body so fast you cannot push away. There are the men spitting on you, calling you loose as you work to report a story on the streets. At a military base, you are singled out for harassment, jeers, sexual taunts while the male reporters around you do their work freely. Back in the newsroom, your own editor suggests you sleep with him - or face professional recrimination. “It is an emerging problem, or awareness of it is emerging, and as more women get into the newsrooms the problem increases” said Eva Danayanti, Executive Director of the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Jakarta, Indonesia. The reports like those above come into Danayanti from women journalists on a regular basis. But fearful of professional and personal reprisal, the women rarely use their names. In two instances within the past year, women journalists were physically harassed by military police, Danayanti said. In one instance, a woman reporter covering a governor’s race was threatened with rape by a politician’s supporters. And, Danayanti said, online threats against women journalists in Jakarta are common. “Male journalists are harassed physically, but the whole thing takes on a terribly abusive, sexual aspect against women journalists,” Danayanti said. With local and gubernatorial elections slated for 2018, and the presidential election the next year, “we expect this to only increase.” As sexual aggression against women in the region emerges as a persistent problem, and raises compelling press freedom and security concerns, Internews is seeking concrete means to ramp up awareness of the threats, empower women journalists in the field to combat them and minimize their incidence and impact. Rowan Reid, project manager for Internews said women journalists face harassment in the countries he works in at every step in their reporting. They may be harassed by drivers, by security officials, by cameramen, sometimes by their own editors and colleagues, he said. They are sometimes groped by men around them while they are standing in a crowded press conference. Online harassment of the sort Ressa experienced is pervasive, Rowan says. And sexual harassment of women investigative journalists is accepted behavior by authorities seeking to stop their questions. “Definitely I think it impedes women’s ability to work in their environments,” Reid said. “The point is, this shouldn’t be standard. Our standard should be, if it’s not an issue affecting men, why should it be an issue affecting women?” The two-year project for mid-level investigative journalists led by Reid is not, in its current form, a sufficient answer. It focuses on training for journalists across the board. It has no specific component - or funding - to empower women journalists to protect themselves from harassment, but Reid says the issue is persistent and merits much more support. “No one is focusing on the specific security issues women face,” Reid said. “We want to do it at Internews, but we need more funding to really get it in the pipeline.” Reid envisions a program that would convene a regional network of trainers to teach women reporters how to protect their digital profiles from trolls, and that would give them tools to protect themselves from physical harassment on the job. “If you’re going to cover security issues specific to women you have to cover that with women and women only,” Reid said. “I wouldn’t even bother considering incorporating it into mixed gender training. You also want to cover some issues that are really quite sensitive. It needs to be a different approach, an approach that is really tailored to the sensitivities of each culture and each environment.” “But in the end, this is a really frightening, frustrating issue. You can train as much as you want. But if men are going to continue to harass women, I’m not getting to the men. So you feel powerless to really stop it.” . . . Brian Hanley is Internews Regional Director for Asia Programs (Banner photo: Women reporters face aggressive online harassment and physical assault in many countries. Photo by Josh Josh Estey for Internews)

A group of Sri Lankan women stand outside a building

Raising Our Voices for Us

Sri Lankan disability activist Manique Gunaratne has a dream — to unite women with disabilities and “change attitudes from sympathy to empathy, dependence to independence, hidden to open, and exclusion to inclusion.” Manique believes this can be achieved by empowering women with disabilities through training in technology, hoping that as women get out in the work force and are more visible, other changes may follow. She says that a woman with a disability who has no access to technology is “triple handicapped.” “With technology, we can fight for our right to life and our right to information,” Manique said at a Women, Tech and Change Social Media Meetup organized by Internews in Colombo in August. Five women — Manique Gunaratne, Savindri Talgodapitiya, Tehani Ariyaratne, Iromi Perera and Menike Deshapriya — presented on Women, Tech and Change at an Internews forum.Manique has been working on her dream since 2001 in her role as Manager of the Specialized Training and Disability Resource Center at the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon where she focuses on using technology to get people with disabilities, particularly women, into meaningful employment. “Twenty years ago, ICT was a luxury confined to Colombo. Today it’s a necessity which should reach the grass roots level, especially for visually impaired persons to be equally capable as sighted persons,” she says. While mobile use is high in Sri Lanka (126% in 2017), Internet penetration is still limited (16.4% households had access in 2016, according to the Department of Census and Statistics). Computer literacy is 38.5% for urban populations and 26% for rural. 29% of men and 26% of women are computer literate. Manique GunaratneManique started losing her sight in her 20s due to retinitis pigmentosa. Determined to be financially and professionally independent, she mastered Braille and using a white cane and took up the study of information technology both nationally and internationally. This was despite the efforts of her family to “protect” her by keeping her confined at home. Her family was fairly typical of Sri Lankans’ attitudes toward people with disabilities where, according to Manique, disabled women face a lot of discrimination including lack of access to education, no vocational training and the lowest income level of any other group. People with disabilities in Sri Lanka sometimes face stigma due to religious beliefs that disability is punishment for wrong-doing in a previous life or is an omen of bad luck (DFAT). A 2003 World Bank report found that 39% of disabled Sri Lankans had never attended school and only 33% attended public events with members of their family. Disability prevalence in Sri Lanka is identified at 12.9% but is probably underreported (the internationally accepted figure is 15%) – three decades of war and the 2004 tsunami resulted in significant rates of physical and psychiatric disability. Despite this, there is not much information in the news media about disabilities, says Manique, and information in general is not available in accessible formats. Sri Lanka ratified the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 8 February 2016, which means they are bound to enact “enabling legislation” that will protect the rights of people with disabilities. However, to date Sri Lanka’s disability rights law has been re-drafted five times and is yet to be passed in Parliament. In 2015, disabled Sri Lankans lambasted all the leading political parties for not recognizing disability rights in their political platforms. “For the past 20 years we have had laws but the implementation process and environment has been very weak. In 2006 a draft bill was introduced to parliament. For 10 years it has been getting postponed because of the insensitivity of politicians. We want to raise our voice in Parliament. We see no other option,” said Gampaha District Group Leader Prasanna Kuruupu. (Daily FT) As Vice Chairperson of the South Asian Disability Forum, a founding member of the South Asian Women with Disabilities Network, a member of Asia Pacific Women with Disabilities United, and the spearhead of “Raising our voices for us,” a national campaign for women with disabilities, Manique advocates for policy change at the national level as well as inclusive economic development (development programs aimed at women have traditionally excluded women with disabilities). Manique Gunaratne (right) of The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon Network on Disability (EFC) and Sagarika Wickramasekara, President of Internet Society spoke on “Women Internet Governance Forum” on a radio program at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, June 2017. Credit EFC.Technology has made great strides in getting people with all types of disabilities connected online. Screen readers, speech to text devices and magnification can help blind people access the Internet, eye-tracking can help even a severely physically disabled person navigate a web page or use a smart phone. Captioning gives Deaf people access to audio material. These advances have been a game changer for people with disabilities in terms of participating in civic life. Training disabled women in technology is not just a way to expand employment opportunities. Disabled women can use the Internet to get information about their human rights as well as use social media to promote rights and conduct advocacy campaigns. They can go online to start a business. It’s a way to take part in social life. At the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, ICT Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities, since 2009, Manique has conducted courses in a wide range of areas in the ICT field to persons with all types of disabilities from all over Sri Lanka. The training center also connect trainees online. It is fully equipped with devices and software specially designed for persons with disabilities. In 2014, the center received CISCO Academy status. To reach those in rural areas and areas outside of Colombo, Manique has set up online training and uses mobile labs to reach remote geographical locations. Some of the students in these areas have “not even seen a computer.” She also trains people with disabilities in these locations as trainers. Manique says, “So I learned technology but then I thought, ‘me coming forward is not enough – it’s not about me, it’s about we.’” (Banner photo: The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon trained eight visually impaired persons in Information & Communication skills for 6 months with the support of the International Labour Organisation. Credit EFC)

Milady interviews a man in a business suit

Facing Digital Threats to Independent Media

Milady Cruz had a dream. She wished for a compassionate approach to journalism in her country. Her two decades of experience in radio and print media steered her to create Diario El Periodista, an outlet committed to principled and accountable reporting in El Salvador. Milady launched Diario in 2014. “Nobody told me how to start a business.” Milady recounted. “I had to learn on my own.” In the years since, she’s been proud of Diario’s coverage, particularly in reporting on vulnerable communities and profiling and featuring young entrepreneurs who have found success. However, she never imagined the hard lessons she would encounter along the way. “As a journalist, you assume you are in control,” she said. “You are not. You are vulnerable. You are exposed to threats, especially when you are investigating sensitive topics.” With El Salvador's high crime rate, journalists are subject to threats and intimidation for reporting on gangs and narcotics trafficking. El Salvador's constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights. However, some journalists report receiving threats from people they believed to be government officials after reporting on violence in the country. They note that these experiences can negatively affect journalists' willingness to report on the security situation. In addition, in this digital age, media also face the threat of hacking. In June of last year, the Diario’s website, its Twitter account and Milady’s personal email account were hacked. She lost a year’s worth of reporting. Yet, she did not abandon her dream. “We had to continue writing stories that transcended our challenges,” she said. Photo credit: Ovidio Sanic LariosMilady used her life savings to restore the website and rebuild Diario. In November 2016, she participated in a USAID-supported Internews regional bootcamp in Guatemala, where she learned the basics of digital and physical security from leading regional experts and expanded her data and investigative journalism skills. She attended sessions on data analysis, data journalism, investigative methods, encrypted messaging and mobile security, and with the 28-strong fellowship cohort—from her country as well as Guatemala and Honduras—she built her network. “I had to wait 19 years to learn how to protect my work and myself properly,” Milady said. The project enhances freedom of expression in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras by empowering local journalists to develop high-quality investigative reporting. It also provides them with the tools and skills to conduct investigations safely and avoid censorship, security threats and retaliation. The two-day digital security training session helped her identify the challenges faced by fellow journalists in the region. “I’ve had the opportunity to meet other journalists and learn that they face similar obstacles,” she said. “I’m not merely a journalist,” Milady said. “I’m a mother. I wish to develop professionally and personally. I want my kids to grow ethically informed.” “I ended 2016 on a high note,” said Milady, trying to hold back her tears. “I returned home invigorated and excited to confront the challenges. More so now that I have new friends that will support me.” This story was also published in 2030, a blog from USAID.

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