Feb 2020 19

Let’s Face It – Kolkata Edition

Vivanta Hotel, Kolkata, 10 am-5 pm

This day-long meeting is organised by Point of View to explore technological solutions to gender-based violence. Drawing on the Internet Democracy Project’s extensive work on the issue, Shraddha Mahilkar is providing an introduction to gendering surveillance at the event.

This meeting is held in the light of the sanction of almost Rs 3,000 crores to Safe City projects to ensure ​‘women’s safety’ in public spaces in eight cities: Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Lucknow. This includes the use of digital surveillance technologies, such as facial recognition, CCTV cameras, drones, and GIS mapping.

As state governments gear up to start implementing the project, several concerns demand our attention -

  • How the technologies work, whether they can ensure women’s safety.

  • The rights-based implications of the project.

  • The promises and perils of these technologies.

At this meeting with activists, researchers, and lawyers who work directly on either gender-based violence, sexuality or digital rights, or with communities of women, we will dive into these questions in the context of women’s safety and safe city initiatives.

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