As the world celebrates women today, a group, Initiative for Social Impact and Sustainable Development (ISISD) has charged the Nigerian government at various levels and stakeholders to ensure the digital empowerment of women and girls for societal development.
ISISD Coordinator, Funmi Falobi said in a statement that it is imperative for girls and women to embrace technology and be part of the digital and technology revolution going on around the world.
According to her, development can only be even if women and girls are not left behind in the technology space.
She said the International Women’s Day theme titled, “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality” with #Embraceequity is a clarion call for government, policy makers, and stakeholders to look into how to bridge the gap in digital skills and education for women and girls and ensure gender parity.
“We can no longer leave the female gender behind anymore if we are actually seeking a secure society where inclusion is germane'” she said.
While noting that the disparity in innovation, technology, and digital knowledge has widened the economic and social inequalities she said, “The United Nations has noted that 37 percent of women do not use the internet and that 259 million fewer women have access to the internet than men, despite accounting for nearly half of the world’s population.
“There is a need for us to strive for a gender-equal world. A world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that allows women and girls to attain their full potential without limitations,”
Falobi in the statement praised women and girls championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education..
She insisted that the inclusion of women in the technology is essential to tackle the problem of online violence against women adding that “a study of 51 countries revealed 38 percent of women had personally experienced online violence. When we all come together to embrace equity; innovation, technology, and digital education will increase the awareness of women’s and girls’ rights and civic engagement. This will lead to the attainment of the 2030 sustainable development goals.”
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