Do you work on women’s empowerment? Are you interested in tackling issues around women’s safety on the internet? Do you wish to educate other women on improved digital safety practices?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this opportunity is for you! DefendDefenders is hosting two back-to-back events in Nairobi aimed at strengthening the skills of women digital safety trainers as well as bringing together a network of practitioners to learn, share and discuss cybersecurity practices and policies that directly or indirectly affect women. 

Context

East Africa has seen tremendous growth in mobile penetration and access to the internet: Teledensity estimates a range from 65% in Uganda to 90% in Kenya. These countries also continue to experience growth in internet subscription. With these advancements in access, there is also a marked rise in incidence of cybercrime such as fraud, hacking and identity theft.

In addition, online violence and harassment against women is a worryingly frequent phenomenon. More women in the region are online now than ever before. Private information, such as photos and videos, are leaked onto social media without women’s consent. Women are often victims of harassment, stalking, and cyberbullying but the extent of this violence is unknown as most cases go unreported. In a recent U.N. report, cyber violence was found to be just as damaging to women as physical violence. The report goes on to indicate that women are becoming increasingly vulnerable to cyber violence with growing access to internet across the world, which could in turn detrimentally impede the uptake of broadband services by girls and women worldwide.

Training of Trainers
This training will take place over 3 days and will cover basic topics around digital security practices and pedagogy to equip trainers to pass on the learning to their communities. Women from any community of practice are encouraged to apply, though a strong technical knowledge of internet and computer usage is required. This can include, but is not limited to, women working in journalism, human rights, civil society, etc. Emphasis will be placed on transferability of skills acquired during the training to target communities.

Dates: 18-20 June 2018

Cyberwoman Forum
This two-day event will bring together a small group of women from diverse fields to tackle issues of online safety for women in East Africa, with a lens on working together to advocate and influence policy aimed at protecting the rights of women and girls on the internet. The forum will include opportunities for women to share their skills, experiences and to learn important tools to advocate for change, both in their communities and at a policy level. The overall outcome of the event is to build a knowledgeable, connected and empowered network of women digital security experts and advocates to challenge the threats of shrinking digital spaces.

Dates: 21-22 June 2018

Participants can apply to either event, or both events.
This call is only open to people who identify as women.

Few competitive travel scholarships will be available for promising women from across the region to attend

Deadline to Apply: 1 June 2018
To submit your application, please click here.

Please provide as much details as possible in your application as we expect the selection process to be highly competitive.