Proposal

APrIGF 2022 Session Proposal Submission Form
Part 1 - Lead Organizer
Contact Person
Ms. Sadaf Khan
Email
Organization / Affiliation (Please state "Individual" if appropriate) *
Media Matters for Democracy
Designation
Co Founder / Director
Gender
Female
Economy of Residence
Pakistan
Primary Stakeholder Group
Civil Society
Part 2 - Session Proposal
Session Title
Gendering the Blackouts: For Women in the Global South, Internet Shutdowns Are Life Threatening
Session Format
Panel Discussion
Where do you plan to organize your session?
Onsite at the venue (with online moderator for questions and comments from remote participants)
Specific Issues for Discussion
Where internet shutdowns affect everyone in a given geography, they impact women and gendered bodies disproportionately than cishet men. Case studies suggest that in the wake of long term internet shutdowns, women have directly experienced implications on their education, healthcare and basic communication. A 2021 study by Media Matters for Democracy titled "Women Disconnected", found that long term internet shutdown in tribal regions of Pakistan has led to severe life-threatening healthcare related complications for women because of the absence of reliable information and/or services available to assist them. For others, the blackout has resulted in lost opportunities of education and business in an environment where women already have limited access to learning and business opportunities due to heavy patriarchal control. Given how the communities in South Asia are connected in their shared cultural values and norms, the pattern is the same in other countries in the region as well.

The session will focus on the anecdotes from South Asia regarding how women have been impacted by internet shutdowns, and how the global conversation around internet shutdown needs to account for the gendered implications of communication blackout. It will feature speakers from South Asian countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka.
Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF
The internet has been exclusionary towards women and gender minorities as a default, with policies and tools designed and implemented while keeping them and their concerns out of discussion. As a result, when internet shutdowns or suspensions happen, these occurrences fail to recognise their impact on those communities already on the margins. It is imperative to acknowledge this impact on the discussion level, and then take it to advocacy level leading to a policy change. The Internet cannot be exclusionary, especially given the value it adds in people’s lives. This panel focuses on the theme of Inclusion with the sole purpose of highlighting the impact of internet blackouts on those who the policies ignore, so as to include their voices in the policy change.
Methodology / Agenda (Please add rows by clicking "+" on the right)
Time frame (e.g. 5 minutes, 20 minutes, should add up to 60 minutes) Description
10 minutes Introduction and background by the moderator
30 minutes Panel discussion with 7 minutes to each speaker (4 speakers in total) + moderator’s interventions and questions
15 minutes Audience interaction + Q&A
5 minutes Conclusion by the moderator
Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

  • Moderator (Primary)

    • Name: Sadaf Khan
    • Organization: Media Matters for Democracy
    • Designation: Co-Founder
    • Gender: Cis woman
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Pakistan
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed

  • Moderator (Back-up)

    • Name: Momina Mindeel
    • Organization: Media Matters for Democracy
    • Designation: Program Manager
    • Gender: Cis woman
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Pakistan
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Confirmed

  • Speaker 1

    • Name: Sara Wahedi
    • Organization: Independent
    • Gender: Cis woman
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Afghanistan
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: Online
    • Status of Confirmation: Invited

  • Speaker 2

    • Name: Radhika Jhalani
    • Organization: SFLC.in
    • Designation: Counsel
    • Gender: Cis woman
    • Economy / Country of Residence: Pakistan
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: Online
    • Status of Confirmation: Invited

  • Speaker 3

    • Stakeholder Group: Academia
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed

  • Speaker 4

    • Stakeholder Group: Academia
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed
Please explain the rationale for choosing each of the above contributors to the session.
All of the proposed speakers for the session have either lived under internet shutdowns, or have worked on them extensively, giving them an expert understanding of the impact of internet shutdowns on women and/or gender minorities.
If you need assistance to find a suitable speaker to contribute to your session, or an onsite facilitator for your online-only session, please specify your request with details of what you are looking for.
Particularly looking for someone who isn’t cis woman or cis man, and can bring in the perspective on how internet shutdowns impact the spectrum significantly. They should be based in South Asian countries.
Please declare if you have any potential conflict of interest with the Program Committee 2022.
No
Are you or other session contributors planning to apply for the APrIGF Fellowship Program 2022?
Yes
Number of Attendees (Please fill in numbers)
    Consent
    I agree that my data can be submitted to forms.for.asia and processed by APrIGF organizers for the program selection of APrIGF 2022.