What does feminist digital safety look like? Why is it important?

Riddhima from #POVMumbai says: "Feminist digital safety means it is built into platforms, rather than being an afterthought... Safety is a pre-requisite to fully and freely participate online."

#TakeBackTechJoy #16Days @apc.org

Supporting Women Human Rights Defenders' advocacy is now more important than ever before.

As Anais from #NavegandoLibres puts it: "Funding #WHRDs means funding the fight for a dignified world... asking for our rights and dignity is never extreme." #TakeBackTechJoy #NoTechForWar @apc.org #16Days

Illustration of a pair of canvas shoes with flowers blooming out of it. Text: On one of the days of continuous protests in a suburban area of Yangon[...] two military trucks entered recklessly while I was singing the protest song and leading the chants.

Illustration of flowers. Text: I had never gotten hit by this kind of fear before. I asked myself, “What am I afraid of?” I was scared of getting caught by the soldiers for sure. At the same time, I felt anger.

Illustration of flowers. Text: bell hooks said: Fear is the primary force upholding structures of domination. It promotes the desire for separation, the desire not to be known. When we choose to love we choose to move against fear – against alienation and separation. The choice to love is a choice to connect – to find ourselves in the other.

Illustration of flowers. Text: When someone asks me now what my biggest fear is, I answer “losing freedom” as an individual and as a collective group of people. I believe the first stage of freedom from fear is to notice and accept its existence. From there, we can find ways to overcome and be healed from its wounds. (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

Ma Bee is a #WHRD from #Myanmar, a feminist researcher and founder/editor of Myit Ye See Than Magazine.

Read about the transformative potential of fear as a reflective tool — for ourselves and our communities.

#WHRDVoices for #16Days — supported by #SafetyForVoices!

@apc.org #TakeBackTechJoy

Image of a woman cycling. Text: How Ayesha’s cycling group in Pakistan started with a bike commute… and a Facebook post! More than 50 girls signed up within the first hour, but nobody had a bike.

Partial image of a woman cycling. Text: In her city, biking — even though therapeutic — wasn’t a safe activity for women. So even though there was interest, women didn’t own bikes. “If you get the bikes, would you be interested in running a girls’ cycling group?”

Hand-drawn element of a cycling route and a cycle. Text: That’s how the first-ever girls cycling club in Karachi was born: "Ride, Roll, Lead” What started with two cycles turned into 10 cycles within a month.

Image of a woman cycling. Text: “Cycling, when done in a community, becomes more than just movement. It's an act of resistance, existence, visibility, and a source of joy amidst all life’s problems.” (in small text) This post has been adapted from an anthology by Women Human Rights Defenders by Safety For Voices.

#RideRollLead is not just a group, it's a sanctuary where women feel seen, uplifted and empowered. #Pakistani women meet and find community on rides.

#WHRDVoices: Reclaiming public spaces through incredible acts of resilience and mutual aid brings us so much joy! #16Days #TakeBackTechJoy @apc.org

Image of women sitting around a table and talking. Text: People imagine activism is glamorous, the hashtags and panels. But we cry in matatus. We skip meals. We stretch stipends whenever they find us. We attend funerals of girls we couldn’t save.

Text on a patterned background: We don’t all wear capes. Many of us wear aprons, lesos, worn-out hope, and a knowing smile that hides exhaustion.

Text on a patterned background: In meetings, our voices as women are often interrupted. In protest planning, our safety is an afterthought. We are told we are too emotional, too soft, too distracted by our children, our hormones, our families. But we show up. Every time.

Text on a patterned background with women talking on the side: Honestly, sometimes, we just want to rest. To pause. To breathe. But guilt comes flooding in. Who will carry the work? Who will protect the girls? Who will answer the calls?.

“I dream of a world where women human rights defenders have robust support [and] therapy is affordable. Where healing is a line item in every donor budget."

#WHRDVoices: Zipporah (Kenya) writes about burnout, and how sustainable activism must be rooted in rest. #TakeBackTechJoy #16Days @apc.org

On a dark purple background are surveillance icons and "16 Days of Activism" is on the top left corner. The central image is of diverse women holding glowing tech devices, surrounded by flowers. Text in the middle: Networking resistance #NoTechForWar

Across the globe, Women Human Rights Defenders organise for justice & equality.

#WHRDs face intense attacks — disinformation, surveillance, stalking — but continue the work in a remarkable display of hope & care.

So even as we say #NoTechForWar, we continue to #TakeBackTechJoy! [1/2] @apc.org