IWD: SCI says Digital Space Should Be Accessible and Safe Place for Women, Girls

IWD: SCI says Digital Space Should Be Accessible and Safe Place for Women, Girls

By: Femi Mustapha

As the global community commemorates International Women’s Day on March 8, Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria has called upon all stakeholders to ensure digital spaces are equally accessible and safe places for women and girls. This was contained in a statement by SCI Media and Communication Manager, Kunle Olawoyin, and made available to the media in Kaduna yesterday.

The statement urged decision-makers, the industry, and civil societies to join hands in the efforts of turning digital platforms into safe and accessible spaces for women and girls.

SCI stressed that it is important to draw attention and interest towards the celebration of women across all spheres of life, especially the girl-child who has surmounted hurdles and societal stereotypes to reach her full potential.

The statement further stated that the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” is peculiar to the wave of women in technology as seen in the digital spaces today.

“According to UN Women, 22 percent of women are workers in the artificial intelligence world globally. This posits a huge gap between genders and affects gender equality in terms of access to digital technology.

“Save the Children International strongly supports the need for equity for men and women, boys and girls in our schools, homes, offices, businesses, innovations, and political space. The opportunities available for women, particularly the girl-child, must be backed up with policies, strategies, and structures that will ensure she excels.

“SCI calls upon the government and all stakeholders to advance opportunities and ensure the needed resources to attain women’s access and safety on the digital platforms. With this, girls will not only have equality but also enjoy equity to be outstanding. All hands must be on deck to champion innovations and excellence through digitized education.

“This means advanced software for curriculums, digitized classrooms, training and workshops, and transformative and accessible networks that compete with world standards. Women need more freedom of expression digitally without fear of trolls, cyber violence, abuse, or bullying. They should be empowered to exercise their skills in technology and digitalization with well-thought-out policies and laws that favor them, void of discrimination, biases, and gender stereotypes.” The statement reads.

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