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
More Than Just A Device: South Asian Women's Struggle to Access The Internet
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
Most of the development projects pertaining to internet access in South Asia focus on increasing digital literacy of women in rural and/or low income communities, setting up community networks, or giving low-cost access or low-budget mobile phones for connectivity. However, all of these programs fail to acknowledge an underlying issue to the gender digital divide in these communities: patriarchal control. South Asian communities and households rely heavily on what the patriarch of the household permits, and since in most of the low income communities, access to mobile phone is considered a characteristic of a "bad woman", so the permission to own one or using it unsupervised is not granted, making the issue of gender digital divide more than just an issue of affordability or infrastructure.
Through interventions from grassroots feminists and researchers from South Asia, the discussion will explore how international advocacy and projects need to expand their understanding of local context when opening calls for proposals and/or when entering these geographies. In addition, it will also discuss how the conversation around gender digital divide needs to expand and include those who cannot be part of the dialogue in a way it is currently hosted - online.
Describe the Relevance of Your Session to APrIGF
Digital inclusion goes beyond just having a working internet connection, rather talks about who gets to connect to that internet connection. In most conservative societies like most of Asia, and particularly South Asia that emphasizes on the need for upholding patriarchy in the name of family values, women and young girls are excluded from connecting to this internet simply by denying their right to own a mobile phone. This session will be more of a commentary on patriarchal control over digital access, and hence various other aspects of life dependent on this access.
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 min Introduction and background by the moderator
30 min Panel discussion with 7 minutes to each speaker (4 speakers in total) + moderator’s interventions and questions
10 min Audience interaction + Q&A
5 min Conclusion
Moderators & Speakers Info (Please complete where possible)

  • Moderator (Primary)

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

  • Moderator (Back-up)

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

  • Speaker 1

    • Name: Bishaka Datta
    • Organization: Point of View
    • Gender: cis woman
    • Economy / Country of Residence: India
    • Stakeholder Group: Civil Society
    • Expected Presence: In-person
    • Status of Confirmation: Proposed

  • Speaker 2

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

  • 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.
The chosen contributors have worked extensively with communities that depend on patriarchal permissions to access the internet. They bring their expert knowledge on the issue on feminist politics when it comes to internet access, and inform the discussion regarding steps to include those that are left behind. More contributors would be added, reflecting the diversity of sectors as well as diversity of regions.
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.
We need someone who is informed about South Asian family dynamics, and can comment on the restrictions in accessing the internet. We’d also appreciate connecting with someone who has done research on mobile ownership in the region.
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.