Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), BRAC University and Peace Café, University of Dhaka organised a webinar on “Digital Literacy for Gender Equity” to observe International Women’s Day on 06th March 2023. On this occasion, CPJ recognised the importance of digital literacy aligning with the theme of International Women’s Day for 2023, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
The panellists for the session were Halima Liza, President, Peace Café, Asian University for Women; Sanjida Zaman Raisa, Organising Secretary, Peace Café, University of Dhaka; Nuzhat Tabassum, Finance Secretary, Peace Café, BRAC University and Sanjida Akter, Organising Secretary, Women Peace Café, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University. All of them spoke in the panel the discussion regarding the status of women in terms of exposure to technology.
The webinar started with an introduction by Dr M Sanjeeb Hossain, Research Director of CPJ and Nahin Rahman, Communications Specialist of the Centre for Peace and Justice, moderated the discussion.
Guest speakers Dr Eileen Pittaway, Director of Centre for refugee research (CRR) at UNSW, and Dr Linda Bartolomei, Convenor of Master of Development Studies and Co-Convener of Forced Migration Research Network at UNSW shared that digital literacy for women had become front and central right from the beginning, even before COVID happened. It is intriguing to note that refugee women were at the forefront of responding to the pandemic, and they met a significant barrier regarding access to the digital world. This serves as a reminder of the digital divide that exists in society and the need to provide equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of their socioeconomic status or background.
Dr Linda Bartolomei shared her opinion that during the COVID-19 pandemic, a project was initiated to assist refugee women from Malaysia in creating various small projects. These projects are currently being operated primarily online and have significantly impacted their respective communities.
The success of this project is a testament to the importance of digital literacy in today’s world, especially in the context of marginalised communities. It also underscores the potential of technology to empower individuals and create positive change in society.
During the panel discussion, Halima Liza provided an insightful illustration of digital literacy’s challenges. She highlighted that while students in higher secondary education can take Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a compulsory subject, marginalised students face significant obstacles in applying their theoretical learning. One of the key barriers identified by Liza is the prevalent misconception that allowing young girls to use the internet and digital devices may lead to unruly behaviour, thereby raising questions about the family’s morality. This belief system creates a significant obstacle for marginalised students, particularly girls, as it limits their access to technology and the digital world.
In concluding remarks, Shahariar Sadat, Director of Academic and Legal Empowerment of CPJ, highlighted the issue of gender-based violence, referred to as a “shadow pandemic” during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many women are still not fully accustomed to using the internet. As AI continues to advance, it could become even more challenging for women in the future. Sadat concluded the webinar by thanking everyone for their participation and acknowledging the symbiosis between the work of Linda and Eileen with refugees and the work of Peace Café members within their community.