The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in Kano has called on women and girls to acquire Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education in order to protect them against male domination in all areas of life.
CITAD’s Programme Officer for Gender and Internet Advocacy, Mrs. Maryam Ado Haruna, made this call at a press conference held on December 9, 2018, to mark this year’s campaign against Gender Violence Online (GVO) tagged 16 Days of Activism.
According to Maryam, the campaign was introduced by the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Programme (APCWNSP) in 2006, and was initiated with a hashtag #TBTT (Take Back The Tech).
The campaign is part of the UN-sanctioned 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence which begins on November 25 each year.
“It is our right to shape, define, participate, use and share knowledge, information and technology, and to create digital spaces that are safe and equal” CITAD Programme Officer said.
This year’s event took a turn to engage students from different schools on the topic “Understanding GBVO: its effects on our society”, as well as “Countering Gender Violence Online: Towards a safer online space for young girls in Nigeria”.
Other activities included discussion programmes on both radio and TV stations respectively Maryam stated.
In addition, Mrs. Haruna said that the campaign announced actions that combine creative and strategic use of Information and Communication Technology.
She disclosed that campaigners organise actions that respond to local priorities, such as workshops on online safety, media monitoring on rape reporting, solidarity actions on the streets and in online spaces, and discussions on women’s right to privacy.
CITAD, she said, feels it is necessary to involve the Media, which it considers as an important stakeholder in the quest for combating gender violence against women and girls online, empowering them with digital skills and protection of women and girls’ digital rights.
She believes that working together, stakeholders can make our society better and safer for all women and girls both online and offline.
