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The Sada Says `We Women Have Our Rights'

A Gender Analysis of an ICT Initiative in Afghanistan

School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, as260903{at}ohio.edu

Esther G. Long

Department of Geography, Government, and History, Morehead State University, 350 Rader Hall, Morehead, KY 40351, USA, e.long@more headstate.edu

Arvind Singhal

School of Communication Studies, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA, singhal{at}ohio.edu

Corinne L. Shefner-Rogers

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, cshefner{at}unm.edu

/ This study analyses Voice for Humanity's (VFH) Sada initiative to promote women's rights, citizen participation and civic education during the Afghan parliamentary elections in 2005. A qualitative assessment was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of how Afghan women, in particular, utilized the Sada device. This research, positioned within current literature on information communication technology (ICT) and gender, views the Sada device — a solar-powered digital audio player (similar to an MP3 player) — as an ICT. Universally, women have unequal access to ICTs, yet the findings of this study suggest that projects such as this one in Afghanistan can play a powerful role in promoting women's rights. The findings reiterate that information dissemination, spurred by a suitable technology, can lead to family and community dialog. Such dialog, coupled with a more enabling environment for women's concerns, can contribute to women's empowerment and realization of women's human rights.

Key Words: Afghanistan • democracy • edutainment • empowerment • gender • human rights • information communication technology • Sada • women's rights

International Communication Gazette, Vol. 69, No. 4, 335-353 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1748048507079006


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