Friday, March 30, 2007

Stop Cyberbullying Day - March 30th, 2007

Hello everyone,

Like so many others in the blogosphere, I was horrified to learn, earlier this week, of the horrendous online abuse and bullying experienced by a well-respected woman blogger (she has asked that we not link to her blog anymore, for now, nor mention her name, so I won't). There are no words big enough to describe how inacceptable the actions that were done to her are, nor do I feel able to talk about the nauseous feelings I got when I read about her experiences.

She was abused online, and the abuse is real - as real as if the abusers-s had been in her physical presence. The sense of violation, of fear, of rage - these are real. Don't anyone tell me that what happens online is just "virtual", because it IS real, not imagined, not simulated: real life, just taking place in cyberspace rather than in physical space.

Very soon after the news broke, I was happy to see another well-respected blogger, Andy Carvin, take a stand, show his support and solidarity, and formally ask all of us to do the same. Andy suggested that we all blog about cyberbullying, today, Friday, March 30th, 2007. The idea has taken off in the blogosphere and I want to be part of it. I need to be part of it. Online bullying has to stop. Lawmakers have to begin applying laws which are valid in physical life, to online life (I was happy to learn that the police are involved in the case I mention above).

More importantly, ordinary citizens have to take it seriously when such abuse occurs online. Because it does, often, and very often from what I can see: to women. I am getting fed up with these boys - because I cannot call them men - who get their kicks out of showering abuse and even death threats, on women who are visible in some way: either through political activity, defending women's rights, expressing their points of view online, etc. I have been working on the rise of anti-feminism here in Québec for a few years now, and it is enraging, the harassment and bullying that goes on. And it goes on in silence, the public is not aware enough of what is happening, the mainstream media do not seem to care.

Women and men who believe in equal rights and social justice, not only can we speak out, but speak out we must. We have to share together - share information on what is going on, share about our experiences, share our resources and strengths to counter this abuse. I will not cower in my corner and stay silent. The situation this week has been a clear example of why we need to act together, to end cyberbullying just as much as any other form of abuse, against women and against the safety and dignity of all human beings, in general.

In solidarity,

-- FeminisTIC

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Monday, March 26, 2007

Et c'est un gouv libéral minoritaire...

Les résultats sont désormais probants, à 22h25, et ce sera un gouvernement libéral minoritaire - la première fois en 130 ans qu'on verra un gouvernement minoritaire au Québec, si j'ai bien entendu l'information ! Incroyable... c'est tellement serré, le vote. Je n'en reviens pas. J'ai la larme à l'oeil et la rage au coeur, j'avoue.

Qui constituera le parti d'opposition ? Difficile à dire... Bon, Bernard Derome vient juste d'annoncer que l'ADQ sera le parti d'opposition. C'est incroyablement triste, à mon avis. Au moins le Parti québécois sera là pour faire pencher la balance du pouvoir, mais bon, on peut deviner que les libéraux et les adéquistes seront d'accord à plusieurs égards, alors ils n'auront pas besoin des péquistes.

Jean Charest a été défait, quelle humiliation pour lui. Surprenant pour un chef de parti, premier ministre en plus ! Je compatis, presque. Et le PQ n'aurait apparemment jamais reçu aussi peu de votes depuis 1970, alors que le parti se lançait dans l'arène politique. Regrettez-vous maintenant, les péquistes, d'avoir choisi André Boisclair comme chef ? J'avoue qu'en tant que personne, je ne l'haïs pas, M. Boisclair, même s'il n'est pas assez à gauche à mon goût. Mais il ne fait de doute pour presque personne que Pauline Marois aurait été une meilleure cheffe du parti, plus expérimentée, plus sage, sans scandale derrière elle. Peut-être une campagne électorale avec Pauline Marois à la tête, aurait-elle su récolter davantage de votes lors de ces élections ? Je le crois.

Ce soir, Mario Dumont doit arborer un sourire du chat de Cheshire (voir Alice au pays des merveilles), il doit tout simplement ne pas revenir du succès de son parti : 41 élu-e-s à l'heure qu'il est, versus un nombre de député-e-s qui se comptait sur les doigts d'une seule main ! Son grand frère Stephen Harper doit en être bien content, lui aussi.

Eh bien, les fonctionnaires, les syndiqué-e-s, les militant-e-s d'organismes communautaires, les écologistes, les étudiant-e-s, les personnes en situation de pauvreté... on peut toutes et tous se recroqueviller dans notre coin, car, comme on dit en anglais : "He's coming for us". Les adéquistes ne laisseront passer aucun avancement social, aucun geste de solidarité économique. Je me rappellerai toujours la réponse de Mario Dumont récemment, lorsqu'on lui a demandé où il couperait dans les dépenses de l'État. Sa réponse ? "Beaucoup de gens sont à l'aide sociale et ne devraient pas l'être"... etc. etc. Inacceptable ! Il y en a certainement, des profiteurs, mais ce ne sont pas la majorité des prestataires de l'aide sociale, loin de là, alors je trouve cela tout simplement lâche, que de pointer et culpabiliser les plus marginalisé-e-s de notre société. Et les entreprises qui ne paient aucune taxe, qu'en faites-vous, M. Dumont ? Ne s'agit-il pas là de prestataires de l'aide sociale collective ?? Et il y a davantage d'argent à aller chercher là que du côté des gens qui reçoivent 500 $ par mois...

Bon, j'arrête car les résultats de ces élections me dépriment tout simplement. Au moins, l'ADQ n'a pas la majorité à l'Assemblée nationale, car ce serait épouvantable, ce spectre-là. Cela a été une soirée intéressante, bien des jamais-vu. Je suis fatiguée, je dois aller digérer tout cela. J'ai hâte d'en parler demain avec mes collègues, militantes, travailleuses et amies.

-- FeminisTIC

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Élections au Québec aujourd'hui ! Quelle tendance se maintiendra ?

Il est 20h50, j'écoute Bernard Derome à Radio-Canada et je déprime. Qu'est-ce qui se passe, les Québécois et Québécoises ?? Comment ça que l'Action démocratique du Québec récolte autant de votes ? Le monde est si peu perspicace que ça, pour se dire, "ah, le PQ, on connaît ça, on est tannés" et "oh, les libéraux, on connaît, on est tannés". Juste pour changer, on vote ADQ ? Non, mais. Pensez un peu ce que ça veut dire. Je trouvais que le Québec avait viré à droite en 2003, lorsque le Parti libéral a été élu, mais là, je vois se poindre Bush junior et compagnie.

C'est sûr qu'à l'heure où j'écris ces lignes, seul-e-s 36 député-e-s sont élu-e-s à date, la soirée sera longue ! C'est très inquiétant. Stephen Harper à Ottawa et qui sait qui sera à Québec...

Me semble que ce n'est pas le Québec que je connais et que j'aime, le Québec ouvert, militant, passionné, égalitaire, solidaire...

À suivre plus tard en soirée.

-- FeminisTIC

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Friday, March 23, 2007

Les femmes et les élections au Québec

Comme d'habitude, les femmes, on est pratiquement absentes des discours tenus par les candidat-e-s et par 4 sur 5 des principaux partis politiques. Ça commence à me tanner. Une belle bataille de coqs que le débat électoral télévisé la semaine dernière, opposant les chefs du Parti libéral, du Parti québécois et de l'Action démocratique du Québec. De la confrontation, de la confrontation, la testosterone en masse. La politique ça peut-tu se passer autrement ? De façon plus productive, plus positive, plus constructive ? Moins sur le mode attaque-défense, plus à l'écoute des citoyen-ne-s, dans un esprit de collaboration ? J'aimerais ça.

Les enjeux qui touchent les femmes de façon particulière ne sont quasiment pas traités dans les médias, ni par les politiciens. Les femmes se mobilisent cependant, parlent, discutent, demandent, écrivent et partagent leurs opinions, demandent des comptes.

Une chance, quelques réseaux Internet féministes mettent à notre disposition des ressources pour que les femmes puissent s'informer dans le but de prendre une décision éclairée le jour du vote, lundi prochain, et pour que les médias et le public s'informent des enjeux spécifiques des femmes dans le cadre des élections. En voici quelques-unes :

- NetFemmes : les élections et les femmes

- Cybersolidaires : Élections Québec 2007 : veille informationnelle

- Sisyphe : Dossier Élections Québec 2007

Informez-vous et votez le 26 mars !

-- FeminisTIC

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Sunday, March 11, 2007

Vote Québec solidaire le 26 mars

In just over two weeks, we go to the polls here in Québec. Who is there to vote for? Unfortunately, the three main parties are running a tight race. Qui sont-ils? Ça ne me tente pas de leur donner davantage de publicité - vous pouvez les trouver vous-mêmes. I prefer to give a bit of visibility to a new, up-and-coming political party (formed just year) which is getting excluded from proper media coverage (in my opinion, of course): Québec solidaire. I like the party, greatly admire many of the people in it - including spokeswoman Françoise David and candidate Manon Massé, among others - and Québec solidaire will get my vote on March 26th, in my local riding. I always told myself I would never join or promote a political party. Well I'm eating my words today. I didn't foresee there ever being a party with so much to offer Québec society, and particularly, women in Québec.

Check out their Déclaration de principes :
Québec solidaire fait son entrée sur la scène politique québécoise pour offrir une alternative progressiste aux partis existants. Une alternative large, rassembleuse, enracinée dans toutes les régions. Une alternative capable de porter et de réaliser les espoirs de changement de tant de femmes et d'hommes du Québec ! Une alternative permettant de bâtir un monde à la mesure de nos rêves.

Québec solidaire se voue entièrement à la défense et à la promotion du bien commun. En d'autres mots, il fait primer l'intérêt de la collectivité sur l'intérêt d'une minorité possédante. Il consacre son énergie à la recherche de l'égalité et de la justice sociale, au respect des droits individuels et collectifs. Il reconnaît l'interdépendance des humains entre eux et avec la nature.

Tout cela exige une transformation profonde du Québec. Pour notre parti, cela signifie de s'opposer au néolibéralisme, cette version moderne du capitalisme, qui domine nos sociétés et hypothèque leur avenir comme celui de la planète.

Pour montrer qu'un autre Québec est possible, notre parti compte élaborer un programme et une plate-forme offrant des propositions concrètes et, au besoin, chiffrées. Elles s'inspireront notamment des valeurs de la Charte mondiale des femmes pour l'humanité : l'égalité, la liberté, la solidarité, la justice et la paix.

Pour le moment, nous voulons faire connaître les valeurs qui guident nos actions et les principes qui s'y rattachent. Ces valeurs et ces principes disent le Québec dont nous rêvons pour nous et pour nos enfants.

- Nous sommes écologistes
- Nous sommes de gauche
- Nous sommes démocrates
- Nous sommes féministes
- Nous sommes altermondialistes
- Nous sommes d'un Québec pluriel
- Nous sommes d'un Québec souverain et solidaire

Ces valeurs rejoignent les miennes. Je souhaite qu'au moins, l'un-e ou l'autre des deux porte-parole du parti soit élu-e ... Je l'espère fortement. Je vous invite à consulter le site Web de Québec solidaire, un site dont je félicite le parti puisque je le trouve bien convivial et complet. J'ai trouvé toute l'information que je cherchais, bien facilement. En plus, le parti utilise les moyens et outils techno du jour, notamment YouTube, le service gratuit de mise en ligne et d'accès à des vidéo du monde entier. J'aurais juste souhaité qu'il y ait un peu plus de possibilités de collaboration en ligne par le biais du site : exemple, un forum de citoyen-ne-s, un blogue ou autre.

A great example of a politician taking advantage of Web resources to reach out and connect with people who might vote for him: U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's Web site. This Democratic Party hopeful offers not only a blog, but also a section called "My.BarackObama.com" in which people can register, find fellow supporters, dialogue, develop their own blog relating to the 2008 U.S. presidential elections, etc. As usual, the U.S. is way ahead of Québec/Canada in terms of using ICTs for citizen and/or political ends.

Le 26 mars, votons Québec solidaire, pour un Québec juste et égalitaire !

-- FeminisTIC

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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Canadian right-wing politics, women's rights and ICTs

It certainly has been a while since I have posted to this blog... What's making me do so now is my frustration with Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, (Hon.) Bev Oda's recent response to the letter I wrote in December to Canada's Prime Minister, (Right Hon.) Stephen Harper. The letter was one of my small contributions to the December 10th Campaign For Women's Equality and Human Rights, protesting the changes made by the Conservative government to Status of Women Canada, as well as funding cuts - to the tune of 5$ million, out of an annual budget of 11$ million - to the Women's Program.

In my letter I shared my concerns with the policy shift this government has taken, away from equality and toward a paternalistic approach to women and the inequalities we face. I said I was not a proud Canadian at the moment, given the changes and cuts they have implemented. I also decried the fact that the Women's Program no longer funds projects which promote the political participation of women, although women represent just over 20% of elected parliamentarians in Canada, for example. The statistics are not much better at the provincial level. Along with many other women, men and women's and nonprofit organizations, I asked the Prime Minister to reverse his decision and reinstate the Women's Program as it was, with the original mission and budget.

I received a short acknowledgment of my letter, informing me that it had been forwarded to the Minister in charge (Bev Oda). Then - fast forward to this week, when her response was sent to me. Let me quote some of the best parts, followed by my comments:

"It is important to be clear on the recent changes the federal government has made to Status of Women Canada and the benefits this will bring to women across the country."


--> She thinks it is not clear to me or to other women in Canada? The meaning of these changes is very clear: the Conservatives mean to phase out Status of Women altogether and this is only the first step. As for the "benefits" the changes will bring: what are they? So far we have seen nothing but regression and cuts. The Minister says the 5$ million cut will be allocated elsewhere, to provide "concrete" resources for women in need (the poor dears!). Yet almost five months after this announcement, we stil have not been told what those 5$ million will be used for, exactly. I imagine the upcoming federal budget will tell us how those monies will be used.

"We have actually made Status of Women Canada services more accessible. For the first time, funding applications will be available online to women's groups and other organizations that undertake projects to benefit women directly. With this change, Status of Women Canada services are now as accessible as the nearest computer with Internet access."


--> More accessible? Who is the Minister kidding? Three-quarters of Status' 16 regional offices are scheduled to close on March 31st, leaving only four offices in all of Canada. The staff in these offices will be so overworked - they already are, with 16 offices! - that they will be unable to speak to or provide any help to women who need support in completing the application process. And as for the Internet making things more accessible for women - the Minister is laughing at women in saying that. We know that women are less online than men, are more intimidated than men by computers, and that the poorest women of all - those in rural areas, those from minorities, Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, etc. - are most often nowhere near able to access a computer, let alone one with Internet access. Never heard of the digital divide, Madam Minister? The world just held an international series of conferences on the subject, in case you didn't know...

I realize that in her response, the Minister does not directly address two of the facts I had questioned in my letter: the policy research program is cut, and advocacy is no longer fundable through the Program. She stressed over and over how "concrete", "direct", "real" services will be provided to women (if I hear her say those words again, I will scream), as opposed to monies being used for administration. But what does she include in what she calls "administration"? Lots of elements that have nothing to do with administration, just see for yourself:

- the policy research fund (completely closed down), which produced close to one hundred publications and useful policy and organizing tools for women;
- ceremonies surrounding the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case;
- International Women's Day celebrations, March 8th of every year: theme, promotional material, toolkits and other resources to help women organize activities in the community
- and probably more of which I am unaware...

It is misleading to citizens to say that Program overhead was very high, when it actually included all the above items.

The final straw in the Conservative government's changes to the Women's Program? For-profit organizations (i.e. private companies) can apply for funding! It is absolutely incredible, nonsensical and unjust to women. The Royal Bank of Canada, Merck-Frosst or Bombardier now have as much right to apply for some of the paltry Program funds as your local women's shelter or women's centre... That is completely unacceptable!

To find out more about the cuts and changes to women's programs, including what you can do to participate in the different campaigns, check out these feminist Websites:

- Status Report
- The Women Are Angry
- FAFIA (English) / AFAI (en français)

-- FeminisTIC

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Thursday, December 14, 2006

ICTs to help women in situations of violence/human rights violations

Now here is a neat ICT success story for women! Mobile phones being used by women to report situations of violence against them or children, or human rights violations, and find the help they need.

Check it out!

-- FeminisTIC



"Rural Women To Report Human Rights Violations Against Them Using Mobile Phones"

Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa – 6 December 2006 Rural women in KwaZulu Natal will be using mobile phones to report on violations of their human rights. The UmNyango Project, which is implementing this initiative, was established by Fahamu, a pan African organisation based in Cape Town, Nairobi, Dakar and Oxford. The UmNyango Project will use SMS technology for rural women and men to access information to and report incidences of violence against women and children, as well as violations of women’s right to land. This initiative will be tested out in Dondotha, KwaDlangezwa, KwaGcwensa, Limehill and Muden, and if successful, will be rolled out on a wider scale. As well as using text messaging, the project will be enable women in these areas to produce their own radio programmes which will be made available to local radio stations, as well as being distributed over the internet as "podcasts". Adv. Anil Naidoo, Project Team Leader said: "We have successfully tested the use of SMS technology for rural women farmers in KwaZulu Natal to access agricultural extension information. There is every indication that this technology will also work for rural women reporting on human rights abuse, including domestic violence." Fahamu, the organisation behind this initiative, has already won international awards for its ground-breaking use of new media to support the pan African campaign on the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. "We are delighted to be implementing this project in association with the Centre for Public Participation, Community Law and Rural Development Centre, Domestic Violence Assistance Project, Indiba- Africa Development Alliance, Participatory Development Initiative and the Rural Women’s Movement," said Fahamu’s Director, Dr Firoze Manji. The Project is funded by the Dutch International Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries (Hivos). Clickatell, a company that provides global mobile messaging services, has donated free SMS credits so that relevant information on human rights may be transmitted to rural women and men. Patrick Lawson, managing director of Clickatell SA, said: "We are proud to be able to contribute to the promotion of women’s human rights". The partners are hopeful that there will be sufficient interest from other donor agencies, government and the private sector to enable this initiative to continue in a more sustainable manner beyond May 2007.

Source : This post on the website Personal Democracy.com.

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Sunday, December 10, 2006

Women's (in)equality in Canada - Harper, hear us roar!

"I am woman, hear me roar" - who said that? I don't recall... But what I do know is that these days that in Canada, the women are angry - and we are roaring our disapproval of the federal conservative government's cuts to women's programs and other social and legal defense programs.



We were 1,000 strong on Parliament Hill (check out some pictures here), to let Prime Minister Stephen Harper know that we will not shut up, we will not be silenced - we will continue to speak out against the outrageous cuts and changes to federal women's programs until they are reversed. Women's critics from the 3 other major federal parties were present, and we learned that over 450 women's organizations signed the December 10th Campaign For Women's Equality and Human Rights (pour accéder à la Déclaration en langue française, cliquer ici). Support also came in the form of a letter to the Prime Minister signed by 6 women Nobel Peace Prize recipients! What an incredible boost to the women of Canada - and what a shame on our government. On top of that, many World March of Women coordinating offices around the world also wrote to Stephen Harper to express their concerns over changes to equality in Canada! On peut consulter ici la version française de la lettre des récipiendaires du Prix Nobel de la paix.

Je suis renversée et émue par la solidarité des femmes du monde avec nous au Canada... Je vous remercie très humblement et en toute solidarité !

To find out more about the cuts and changes to women's programs, including what you can do to participate in the different campaigns, check out these feminist Websites:

- Status Report
- The Women Are Angry
- FAFIA (English) / AFAI (en français)

-- FeminisTIC

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