According to the United Nations Population Fund, 85% of women report witnessing online violence. Women and girls, particularly those from minority and marginalized communities are most likely to have their images abused online and are often subjected to demeaning non-consensual sexual acts. Forms of online violence include hate speech, sexually violent dialogue, cyberbullying, uploading of sexually explicit materials without the consent of the pictured subject(revenge porn/NCII), and stalking among others.
Such acts lead to psychological trauma, isolation, and harassment and cause general fear of one’s safety. It leads to social disorder and a negative impact on a person’s social and professional life. Equipping individuals with digital security training serves as a valuable solution in mitigating online violence, offering an effective means to combat the rising tide of online harassment.
During the 16 days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV), WOUGNET in partnership with Crossroads was honored to conduct a Digital Security Training in Kampala International University on 15/12/2023 to equip students with knowledge and skills on online Violence and how to be safe online. The training had 44 students participate, comprising both females and males.
Digital Security is the collective term that describes the resources employed to protect your online identity, data, and other assets.
Safety tips online
Some of the Safety tips discussed during the training included:
- Use of a secure internet connection. When using public Wi-FI connections, you have no direct control over its security which could leave you vulnerable to cyber attacks. Therefore, if you are using public Wi-Fi, avoid carrying out personal transactions that use sensitive data such as online shopping or online banking.
- Use of strong passwords when creating accounts on digital platforms, it helps protect your personal and sensitive information from unauthorized access.
- Understand and use your privacy settings and policies. Hackers love to know more about you, so learn about browsing and social media usage so that you take charge of how much information third parties can access. Review privacy settings and make sure they are set to a level you are comfortable with.
- Avoid clicking suspicious links. Some links expose your personal data online or infect your device with malware (Malicious Software). That’s why it’s important to browse consciously and avoid certain types of online content such as links from untrusted sources and spam emails.
- Close unused accounts for example the old accounts you no longer use, some of these old sites have poor data protection policies. So cybercriminals can easily harrack and get your information.
- Keep your operating systems and browsers up to date. It ensures proper functionality of the device and enhanced protection from cyber attacks.
Author;
Babirye Roseline, Program Assistant Gender and ICT Policy Advocacy
