On 9th FEBRUARY, 2021
As part of its commitments to ensure a safer internet for all most especially the vulnerable
people in the society like women and girls who are the prime target of online attacks, the
Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) had on the 9 th of February, 2021
join the global community to organize a twitter chat with theme “Online Wellbeing and Digital
Resilience†in order to highlight the challenges internet users are facing in Nigeria, discuss the
things that can be done to stop server bullying & online harassment, bring out the negative
affect of it and to also discuss the way forward. The discussant at the twitter chat, Engineer
Mary Ahuoiza Kumode who is the ICT Committee Leads of Nigerian Youth Parliament started
the discussion by highlighting how toxic the internet space is most especially to girls and
women “Nigeria internet space, is fast growing with the speed of light, as it also comes with its
prons and cons, I will say it’s safety most especially to girls and women has become a thing of
concern, however we cannot have control over it the best we can do is response positivelyâ€
Also highlighting the negative aspect of the online space to women and girls, the discussant
further stated that “women trafficking especially for sexual gratification remains a major social
issue confronting our world today. This is one of the cons of the online space that remains a
threat to women and girls†when asked what are the challenges women are facing online and
how the challenges can be tackled, Engineer Kumode stated that “effective Policing by
regulatory agencies, safety moderation and standards by tech companies, & online wellbeing of
individuals should be considered let them be mindful of things on their platform as youths most
time use such standard to relate to their own lives†also she suggested that “monitoring and
policing of the Internet is a responsibility for all, and not just gender activists. Social media have
major roles to play in making their platforms safe for all, they must act proactively to stop
online abuse, body/slut shaming of womenâ€.
At the end of the chat, Engineer Ahuoiza made it clear that the issue of making Internet safer
for women and girls is a Clarion call for everyone, to encourage and teach online wellbeing
especially to the women and girls, so we can attain a future with Digital Resilient Women.