ISLAMABAD, March 8 (China Urdu): A seminar held by the UNDP Strengthening Electoral and Legislative Processes (SELP)project and British High Commission to celebrate International Women’s Day 2024 in Islamabad called for equal opportunities for females in the digital world in a safe environment.
The event held in connection with International Women’s Day on March 8 with the theme of “Cultivating a Safe Digital Environment- Challenges and Opportunities for Women” stressed the need for digital inclusion for equitable, meaningful, and safe access to use, lead, and design of digital technologies, services, and associated opportunities for everyone, everywhere which is based on the UN principle of leaving no one behind.
The seminar demanded that digital inclusion should aim to dismantle existing structural social inequalities and enhance the well-being of all.
Resident Representative UNDP Pakistan Samuel Rizk said the digital gender divide in access to devices and the internet is significant and females are facing huge hurdles in the digital world, including limited financial inclusion.
Rizk said that affordability is one of the most critical barriers to Internet access and use for women, adding that only 26 percent of women in Pakistan have access to the Internet as compared to 47 percent of men while in rural areas it is seven percent against 20 percent.
The official also highlighted the risk of online harassment for women saying that 72 percent of the women reported experiencing some form of online harassment or violence in the country.
On the occasion, Senior Governance Advisor & Head of Open Societies, British High Commission in Pakistan Andrew Bowden said that the world must work on women’s empowerment in the digital world by ensuring safety and protection online. Bowden added that there is a dire need to explore innovative ways online to ensure a safe environment for females, including safety from harassment and hate speech.
Van Nguyen Deputy Resident Representative UNDP Pakistan, Mary Cummins, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP SELP and Tania Aidrus Co-Founder & CEO of D Global also addressed the event and expressed their views on the topic.
The inaugural session of the event was followed by panel discussions which were participated by famous figures, including TV anchors Maria Memon and Munizae Jahangir, Transgender Rights Advocate & Politician Nayyab Ali, Naeem Mirza Executive Director of Aurat Foundation and Nabeela Malick head of partnerships and communications UNWOMEN. ENDS
