The world is changing rapidly, and the digital space is expanding, especially in the global south. This stimulates necessary development for the future in the digital world. Despite its benefits, there are challenges, opportunities, and threats for women in cyberspace and digital rights.
The Digital Agenda for Tanzania Initiative joins the global celebration of International Women’s Day. Since the launch of our organization in 2021, we have made milestones in creating awareness and providing capacity building to youth, women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups that have benefited from our programs, including the Dar es Salaam School on Internet Governance, the Digital Safety Training Series, Cyber Diplomacy, Research, Localization, and Digital Mental Health.
This year, the theme for the UN International Women’s Day is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.” It is aligned with the priority theme for the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), “Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. IWD 2023 will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.
DA4TI has been a frontline organization actively advocating for internet governance and digital inclusion without leaving anyone behind. Digital rights are human rights and vital to the communities they stimulate in social, economic, political, environmental, and technological spheres.
As stated by Peter Mmbando, DA4TI Executive Director, “Sometimes we might be thinking STEM subjects are only for the male gender and forget about female inclusion in the digital space. This has created a digital glass ceiling, which we must work hard to break and encourage digital inclusion for all.”
DA4TI encourages women, youths, persons with disabilities, and marginalized groups to use this day as a day to reflect, learn new skills and knowledge in ICT, seek new opportunities, create jobs, and create platforms for constructive ideas for the benefits of ALL.
DA4TI has collaborated with international partners in localization of content in Swahili language which shall help women like journalists , students, academia, lawyers and general community to learn and take action, programmes like ONLINE HARASSMENT FIELD MANUAL by PEN AMERICA and DATA DETOX KIT by Tactical Tech are available online in Swahili version.
DA4TI will continue to strengthen its programmes to the entire communities and promote equality in the digital space for sustainable development and future of better cyber space at local , national and international levels.
