Real Life Strategic Uses of APC Networks from the Late 1990s
By supporting
and defending civil society access to information and communication
tools and skills, APC has been an integral partner in global
efforts for social, economic and ecological justice. To
show you how people are using APC networks to get their
work done, we’ve collected a selection of real-life
examples. Some are small grassroots labour-of-love volunteer
initiatives, others are more large-scale well-resourced
undertakings.
These
stories span the globe and demonstrate how information and
communication technologies can be applied in different spheres
of civil society activity. You’ll see that there’s
not one exclusive approach for everyone, and that often
a mix of traditional communication methods and new technologies
are needed. APC networks let user needs and realities guide
the strategy...
Please
share your own experiences with us. We would be happy
to highlight them here!
Sexual Harassment
Legislation Victory for Women in India
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Without
means of support, those without full Internet access can
be at a great disadvantage in their campaigning for social
change. This example shows effective ways around this obstacle...
Sakshi,
an NGO advocating for women's rights in India, has been
lobbying for legislation to protect women from sexual harassment.
To bolster their efforts and to have access to the work
done by women's organisations elsewhere, they requested
support from members of the APC Women's Networking Support
Programme. APC women were able to undertake WWW research
for Sakshi to help them build their case. Also, the Programme
publicised the work of Sakshi on various mailing lists,
with the caution that anyone wishing to support Sakshi's
work be considerate of their limited online capacity: "Please
be aware that the SAKSHI organisation is hanging on the
end of a very high-cost e-mail linkup that is not Internet.
While they welcome your constructive input and queries,
please do not begin sending lengthy documents to them without
first making sure with them that they are willing to receive
what you wish to send." Women fully online were able
to play a vital bridging role in helping Sakshi succeed
in having landmark sexual harassment legislation passed
in India in 1997. In Sakshi's own words: "In view of
the increase of cases reported on sexual harassment of women,
the Supreme Court of India, on a writ filed by women's NGOs,
has laid down guidelines to obviate such harassment at places
of work, and at other institutions including universities,
hospitals and other professional bodies... Most significant,
the Supreme Court has brought sexual harassment within the
purview of human rights violations."
APC
Women's Programme: http://www.gn.apc.org/apcwomen
War-Time Communication
Links in Yugoslavia
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This
example highlights the very personal nature of the simple
but crucial communication systems that can spring up in
times of political conflict…
APC
member network, ZaMir (for peace), is an electronic mail
network in former Yugoslavia dedicated to helping peace-oriented
people and groups, humanitarian organisations, NGOs and
the independent media to improve their communication opportunities
both locally and internationally. As a result of the war
destroying much of the communications infrastructure in
the countries involved, ZaMir emerged as a way to rescue
the human connection among people separated by war borders,
enabling them to reach each other and to join efforts for
peace.
One
of the essential services that was offered at the height
of the conflict was the Letters Service. Refugees who had
no computer, both those within the former Yugoslavia and
those who had gone to other countries, used the Letters
Service to send and receive messages from relatives and
friends locally and all over the world. People without e-mail
access could bring their letters to the volunteers, working
out of community e-mail centres or from their homes, who
would type them in and transmit them to other volunteers
at the receiving end who would then print them out and pass
them on via postal mail, hand-delivery and more rarely,
fax. Letters could be sent overnight from Zagreb to Belgrade
and from Belgrade to Zagreb. Within 24 hours letters were
sent and received to and from any other network in the world.
These volunteers provided a simple, user-friendly interface
between electronic-mail and paper-mail, despite the chaos
of war around them.
ZaMir:
Peace Network http://www.zamir.net
Giving Saharan
Refugees a Voice
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The
movement for Saharan independence would be impossible without
the local and international communication opportunities
made possible by a volunteer-run and supported radio and
computer network...
When
the Western Saharans declared independence from Spain in
1975, Morocco invaded and won. Most of the Saharans fled,
seeking refuge in neighbouring countries. Morocco now occupies
the majority of the territory, and has built a series of
defensive walls to keep the Saharans out of their own country.
People are forced to live as refugees in South Western Algeria,
where they established their tent camps in one of the most
inhospitable deserts in the world and have been living in
extreme hardship.
Without
reliable means of communication and the ability to share
information, the refugees also cannot prepare for or participate
in the upcoming referendum on independence from Morocco.
For example, negotiations regarding eligibility to vote
are taking place that are critical to the validity of the
referendum for the refugees: the Moroccans want to include
the thousands of new settlers they have introduced since
the occupation, and the Saharans insist that the Spanish
census of the inhabitants in 1975 should be used.
Through
a joint initiative between local Saharan leaders and EusNet
(Basque member of the IPANEX network collective), a communication
project has been successfully launched. With remote technical
support from GreenNet (UK APC member) a combination of ham
and short wave radio, transmitters, basic broadcasting stations,
walkie-talkies, antennas, modems, computers, cables, solar-powered
and electrical generators, batteries and rechargers, were
intricately connected in a variety of configurations to
create a functioning communications network. To help refugees
use the network, a group of young Saharans working from
within the refugee camps in the southern part of Algeria
formed the Saharan Association for Communication (ASC).
Day-to-day technical support is provided by EusNet (Basque
Country).
As a
result, the Saharan refugees now communicate with the world,
and equally importantly, amongst themselves. They are able
to work with international groups who support their cause,
as well as collaborate on local initiatives. Active users
of the network currently include women's rights groups,
an association of families of Saharan political prisoners,
and the COSAR campaign that works to ensure accurate information,
reporting and lobbying for the Saharan perspective in the
Referendum.
TIRISNET:
http://www.tirisnet.org
EusNet: http://www.eusnet.org
IPANEX: http://www.ipanex.apc.org
GreenNet: http://www.gn.apc.org
Canadian Women Working
for Justice
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All sorts of organisations, coalitions and people working
together on a common cause use APC's private conferences
as secure, shared workspaces...
Every
year the Canadian federal Minister of Justice hosts a consultation
with sixty delegates from equality-seeking women's groups
across Canada. The delegates are invited to convene for
two days in Ottawa to hammer out their views on the government's
policies to end violence against women, which are then presented
to the Minister on the third day. In 1995, the Minister
offered to computer link several of the groups so that they
could carry out preparations electronically in advance of
the annual face to face meeting. Now that they are linked
electronically, these groups have increased their ability
to plan, discuss and prepare throughout the year and are
therefore in a better position to use the consultation time
with the Minister. They are doing this pre-consultation
in a private Web Networks conference linked to a mailing
list, where they have more time and space to share information
about local happenings and to prepare policy recommendations
before arriving in Ottawa.
Web
Networks: http://www.web.net
& http://community.web.net
EcoNews Africa:
Supporting Maasai Land Claims
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This
example shows how an organisation can use the Internet to
bring attention to the cause of people that aren't even
online…
The
Maasai people in Tanzania are losing their land. In some
areas their pastures are given away to commercial farming
enterprises, in others they are pushed out by development
projects, mining, tourism or conservation interests. Since
most of them are illiterate their voices are not easily
heard by planners, policy makers and donors. EcoNews Africa
used APC networks to highlight the plight of a Maasai community
that was threatened with eviction by a General Management
Plan written for the community by the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area Authority. Through APC conferences and the EcoNews
Africa WWW site, the Maasai were able to express their lack
of participation in the whole process, their fears and what
they proposed to do. The story drew a lot of attention,
especially from donors and concerned individuals who began
asking questions, which initiated a public debate on the
issue. The Maasai, on learning of the attention to their
situation, expressed that they were happy to be part of
a larger global community that was watching, concerned and
taking action. EcoNews Africa is an NGO coalition that analyses
global environment and development issues from an African
perspective and reports on local, national, and regional
activities that contribute to global solutions.
EcoNews Africa: http://www.web.net/~econews/index.html
Helping Hungarian
NGOs Define Their Rights
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This
example illustrates a strategy that combines the use of
off-line software tools and an online private discussion
area for information dissemination, which then dovetail
with a face-to-face lobbying campaign...
More
and more NGOs have been springing up in Hungary in recent
years, now that they can be freely constituted. To curb
this growth, the government has proposed a new law that
would limit and more closely control NGO operations, which
now threatens their existence. Hungary is not a big country,
but roads are bad, travel costs are high and the people
working in the NGO sector don't have a lot of money to spare.
Most of those affected by the proposed legislation can't
afford the time or money needed to build a counter strategy
face-to-face. However, more than 200 NGOs are members of
the Green Spider network. To defend their interests, they
have been collaborating electronically in a private conference.
Using some of the participants' strategic contacts among
parliamentary bodies and political parties, members of the
discussion have been able to see drafts of the legislation
and share vital news, to plan their response. Most of the
Green Spider NGOs use off-line tools for interacting online,
to save on phone costs. (This means they quickly connect
to their local system, pick up their messages, then disconnect
and prepare all responses and new messages while disconnected.)
Without this shared strategy space, the NGOs would have
already lost the battle. Not only have they been able to
prevent the legislation from being passed so far, they have
also developed strong and effective means for online collaboration
in the face of future challenges.
Green
Spider: http://www.zpok.hu
Ensuring Freedom
of Expression for Journalists World-wide
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Urgent
action mailing lists offer a simple means for mobilising
rapid global response...
Nearly
2,000 attacks on freedom of expression are reported each
year, including arrests, censorship, and violence directed
at journalists, writers, and media outlets. In recent years,
over 70 journalists and writers have been killed annually
on average. In 1992, the International Freedom of Expression
eXchange (IFEX) was established in Toronto, Canada to assist
international campaigns for human rights by supplying accurate
and timely information regarding attacks on writers and
journalists, and on the use of censorship and press laws
to limit freedom of expression. The primary method of transmitting
information is electronic mail. This allows groups in distant
locations to send messages at a fraction of the cost of
phone calls or faxes. With support from Web Networks, IFEX
has set up a series of mailing lists on APC for instantly
sending out action alerts to specific regions. Whenever
there is a serious threat to freedom of expression, the
Action Alert Network disseminates detailed information on
the case via e-mail to participating organisations and individuals,
which, in turn, mount international protests from their
own regions. The Network carries an average of 80 Alerts
each month. Alerts, which are translated into French and
Spanish are also posted to APC conferences. IFEX also runs
a WWW-based information service at http://www.ifex.org.
Voting for Change:
The Colombian People's Mandate for Peace, Life and Liberty
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This
example shows how a carefully orchestrated online campaign
supported a national peace initiative...
The
People's Mandate for Peace, Life and Liberty is a civil
society initiative in response to the extreme violence that
has shaken Colombia. The non-partisan Mandate came together
to mobilise Colombians to demonstrate their commitment to
non-violence and peace using the October 26, 1997 elections
of mayors, governors, council members and municipal officials
as a platform. Special peace ballots were created and distributed
with the regular election ballot that voters could deposit
to show their support for the Mandate.
Colnodo,
APC member network in Colombia, worked with coalitions such
as "Indepaz" and "Redepaz" to support
this effort. Starting in September, Colnodo co-ordinated
a multifaceted online strategy to coincide with face-to-face
events:
- all
relevant information was posted to a Web site set up exclusively
for the peace campaign, http://www.colnodo.apc.org/colombiapaz
- an
e-mail discussion list was launched that brought together
over 180 people, Colombian and non-Colombian
- a
conference was created to serve as a permanent archive
of all the messages that were sent to the list
- an
online voting booth was set up
Colnodo
contacted webmasters at organisations such as the National
Coffee Growers Federation of Colombia, the National Association
of Municipalities and to Internet service providers such
as Colomsat and Latinonet, asking them make a link to the
Mandate site from their homepages. Managers of popular Colombian
web sites - culture, municipal news and current events,
football teams, radio stations, etc. - were also contacted.
The distribution gathered its own momentum and soon more
web sites had set up links of their own accord and the Mandate
was publicised among web sites on human rights, schools,
radio stations and on other APC networks. Colnodo also played
an information facilitation role by forwarding information
from the Web site to the mailing list so as not to exclude
anyone lacking full Internet access.
The
Mandate resulted in 8,102,354 votes for peace out of an
eligible population of 20,496,366, or 39.53%. To continue
to support the process of strengthening peace in Colombian
civil society, Colnodo is keeping the communication lines
alive by distributing news and facilitating information
exchange via the mailing list. Subscriptions are available
by going to: http://www.colnodo.apc.org/info/listas.html
under the name "Colombia Iniciativas por La Paz"
ModemMujer: Women
Networking Women in Mexico
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ModemMujer
(Modem Woman) has developed a multimedia strategy - WWW,
personalised e-mail, mailing lists, radio, meetings, faxes
- for information-sharing and women's activism...
In 1995,
ModemMujer (Modem Woman) was created as a joint initiative
of five women's organisations in Mexico City to meet the
need of the women's movement in Mexico to better exchange
information and to improve information flow between Mexico
City and Mexico's outlying states. Throughout the republic,
women were succeeding in putting pressure on local governments,
gaining presence in local media, and developing alternatives
for their local situations, and no one in the capital was
hearing about it. During the UN World Conference on Women,
ModemMujer identified key women's NGOs or individuals with
e-mail access in different regions and transmitted information
from the UN conference to these women, who in turn sent
it out via fax, radio, press, and other means. There was
a three-woman team covering events in the NGO and official
conferences in China who sent back not only news about the
events in Spanish, but also editorials and personal accounts
of the excitement of being there. The team also received
information from all over Mexico to apply pressure at the
right points in Beijing, and were even able to get information
to the official Mexican delegation's NGO representatives.
In the Mexican NGO evaluation of the UNWCW, ModemMujer was
personally thanked for their tremendous work, and they were
endorsed as the official communicators for ongoing NGO follow-up.
The ModemMujer experience demonstrated how well electronic
communication can fit into a wider communication strategy,
enhancing existing communication tools such as radio, meetings,
faxes and traditional press work.
ModemMujer
co-ordinates an APC conference, a mailing list and are just
putting up a web page -- sending out news of the women's
movement, action alerts, events, papers, etc. They scan
other conferences and information sources and re-post so
that Mexican women can be aware of issues affecting women
in the region. MM also uses personal e-mail contact, letting
women know what's new in their conference, and offering
to send documents via e-mail if anyone has trouble accessing
conferences. They invite women to ask for help if they have
trouble accessing information, and offer basic support or
refer user problems to the provider network, LaNeta. This
unique element of personalised communication has helped
women feel more connected and interested, and has encouraged
greater participation.
ModemMujer
In Action: Women's Reproductive Health Tribunal On May 28,
International Day of Action for Women's Health, the Mexico
City Women's Health Network held a public tribunal in defence
of women's reproductive health, where, for the first time
in Mexican history, individual women collectively filed
suit against the Mexican State's health care apparatus.
Charges of involuntary sterilisation and grievous medical
malpractice resulting in child or maternal death were heard
by a jury of experts in human rights and reproductive health,
a packed auditorium, and in APC conferences across Latin
America. The search for claimants and publicity of the event
began in local LaNeta conferences and, in April, via a simple
Tribunal web site. As the individual cases and determinations
were heard, ModemMujer posted analysis and results in APC
conferences and to a mailing list of women activists. ModemMujer
received responses from all over Latin America reporting
further dissemination of the Tribunal initiative in other
media and interest in reproducing this creative and informative
style of protest elsewhere. As a result of this response,
women's health organisations in Mexico learned of on-line
counterparts in Latin America and the creation of a Spanish
electronic forum to share information and activities on
women's reproductive health throughout Mexico and Latin
America is in the final planning stages.
LaNeta:
http://www.laneta.apc.org
Online Labour Campaign:
Liverpool Dockers
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Bringing
attention to a local cause, often requires joining forces
with similar initiatives globally first...
The
Liverpool dockers have fought for job reinstatement since
September 1995 when they were fired by Mersey Docks and
Harbour Company for refusing to cross a picket line. Men
with 30 years' experience were immediately replaced by scabs
recruited through casual labour agencies. The dockers' principled
stand defied UK employment laws and their union withheld
official backing. Initial attempts to win industrial solidarity
from fellow workers on Merseyside were unsuccessful.
The
Liverpool men and their families turned to dockworkers around
the world, who face similar threats of casual labour, deregulation,
and privatisation. In seeking an international boycott of
Mersey Docks, the dockers needed to make contacts and keep
them informed during long periods of media silence. GreenNet
offered a free website, and LabourNet supplied on-the-spot
reports from Liverpool which were relayed through APC conferences.
GreenNet's independence allowed the dockers to present their
case despite the inevitable conflict with the official structures
of the Transport and General Workers Union.
In January
1997, when dockers in 27 countries took solidarity action,
the site was widely recognised as a unique source of news,
photographs, and discussion linking workers from many industries,
who speak different languages but face similar problems.
The Liverpool dockers were recently given a computer and
use it daily for e-mail and research while preparing their
next international action.
Dockworkers
Campaign Site: http://www.labournet.org.uk/docks2/other/dockhome.html
GreenNet: http://www.gn.apc.org
Using the Internet Strategically
