On the other side of the coin, can ICTs serve as a tool to reduce the incidence of violence?

SN: In order for ICTs to reduce the incidence of violence, they should be used to inform and educate the population. There is also a need to increase the production of content so that ICT tools are useful for girls and boys.

FM: Yes, ICTs can also be used to reduce violence against women. However in most instances when the most cruel, most brutal forms of violence happen, there is no network or any radio program that can provide useful information.

Speaking on the epidemic of sexual violence in the DRC, Yakin Erturk, the former UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, once said that access to ICTs is critical for Congolese women as it could be the only thing that could break their isolation from the rest of the world. What do you think of this statement?

FM: I think the rapporteur is right but as I said before, there is no network that supports survivors of sexual violence even when the most brutal and cruel form of violence is committed. [In parts of] the country where domestic violence is rampant, we need some green or emergency numbers to allow calls to the police or hospital or anyone who can help. We need to have some kind of Ushaidi (African tech company) website and map out the places where violence is on the rise to encourage people to lobbytheir parliamentarians and other elected officials to address the situation. Our decision-makers don't understand that we have much to win in investing in ICT. It is pitiful.

SN: ICTs can not only serve to break the silence, but go beyond, to educate people about what violence against women and girls means in all its forms. For the DRC, sexual violence has been much publicized, but not the other forms especially in the Western media. Although ICTs have helped to generate solidarity and commitment from international organizations, the local or national organizations in the DRC working with women and grassroots groups remain invisible. ICTs can help document this, and encourage local women and girls to tell their untold stories. With ICTs, they could share local initiatives that contribute to reducing violence against women and girls.