OVER 1 LAKH WOMEN IN INDIA TRAINED ON DIGITAL LITERACY

The internet was envisioned by its creators as a platform for redefining public spaces by making them accessible to all. Slowly and gradually, it transformed not only how interactions happen but how businesses, schools, and governments function. It has been one of the key drivers of social evolution in the Information Age.

While technology is touted as a great equaliser, it often exacerbates existing inequalities in the society due to issues related to access and trust. There are about 500 million internet users in India, but in urban areas only 40% of women use the internet and in rural areas, it is estimated that there are only 31% of women users. There remain major concerns around infrastructural roadblocks but the social and power dynamics within families force women to stay aloof from the global marketplace.

Additionally, about 60% of women have been at the receiving end of online abuse which also leads most women to extreme agony and about 20 per cent inevitably shut down their social media accounts. Digital literacy includes but is not limited to assisting people to use computers. Facebook’s “We Think Digital’’ is a global digital literacy program, was announced last year on the occasion of Safer Internet Day, together with the National Commission for Women (NCW), Cyberpeace Foundation and Autobot Infosec,

within the committed timeline of a year. It aimed at providing digital literacy training to effectively use online resources and grievance redressal mechanisms to 100,000 women across states including, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Bihar. It was launched initially as the “Digital Shakti” campaign in 2018, under which 60,000 women were trained in digital literacy and online safety across India.

On the occasion of Safer Internet Day 2021, phase two of the initiative has been successfully completed.

A total of over 167 webinars have been organised and over 105,000 netizens sensitised across India since the launch in 2020.