In a bid to empower and protect women from internet abuse or threats, the Maharashtra State Women Commission and Responsible Netism have devised a Digital Stree Shakti programme to train 5,000 girls in the age group of 16 to 25 from colleges situated in 10 cities across the state. They will be trained as Cyber Sakhees. Minister of Woman and Child Welfare Yashomati Thakur will formally launch the programme on Tuesday.
Webinar sessions are planned for training purposes during the lockdown. Nearly 100 participants are expected to join the workshop. The duration of the workshop will be of 90 minutes and will extensively cover types of cyber crimes against girls and women, including fake profiles, account hacking, cyber bullying, gender-based trolling, online harassment, stalking, morphing, cyber grooming, revenge porn, sextortion, online economic offences, e-mail spoofing, net extortion, internet or online dares, challenges and threats like blue whale. They will also be provided hands-on training to educate online safety.
Commission Member Secretary Aastha Luthra told the Free Press Journal, “Our initiative to empower young women digitally is a way to strengthen and make them more confident and competent to cope up with the challenges which have emerged in the present times. The programme also underscores the commitment and dedication of the commission.’’
Further, the participants in the workshop will be given technology tips to identify, address and resolve technical threats. They will be trained to understand reporting mechanisms of online distress, which include where to report online distress and cyber crimes and where to seek help both online and offline. They will be provided a resources list of support systems along with contact numbers of the superintendent of police of cyber cells across Maharashtra.
Responsible Netism Founder Sonali Patankar informed that the medium of instruction would be Marathi, Hindi and English, whichever would be most applicable and comfortable for the participants. The entire presentation would be run through a powerpoint, inclusive of videos, stories, very effective and relevant case studies. “We also play the role of being a referral organisation. We connect participants facing online distress with the local law enforcement, local organisations and mental health professionals for any psychological support required in terms of counselling or other interventions,” she said.
