Grantee Project
Internet penetration is gradually increasing in Pakistan, where approximately 30 million people— the majority of them living in urban areas—are online. As more people come online and start to use the Web, however, their vulnerability to online exploitation increases. This is particularly the case for female ICT users in conservative societies like Pakistan, where hundreds of instances of online harassment, stalking and libel against women have been reported. Female victims of such online incidents are faced with few options for justice, as current laws in Pakistan do not provide any legal remedy for cybercrimes and online harassment. To counter this situation, the Digital Rights Foundation proposes to launch Hamara Internet, a program to empower young girls and women to safely use the Internet.
Hamara Internet, which means “Our Internet” in Urdu, will host digital security sessions aimed at helping women across Pakistan to secure and protect their online existence. The program, which runs from July 2014 to December 2014, will launch a national-level campaign and will host workshops at leading universities throughout Pakistan, with the aim of improving human rights for women online, ensuring that they feel empowered to speak freely in safe online spaces. Digital Rights Foundation will also develop a web portal where women can access information about and tools for promoting digital security. In addition to promoting the dissemination of information regarding security and privacy online, Hamara Internet will also collect input from programme participants regarding the Web they want and ideas to be incorporated into a global Internet Magna Carta. The Hamara Internet campaign will be run from July 2014 to December 2014
Contact: Nighat Dad nighat@digitalrightsfoundation.pk
Website: http://www.digitalrightsfoundation.pk/
Twitter: @DigitalRightsPK
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