Minister Sharma insists on promoting digital literacy to mitigate online abuse

Kathmandu: Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma has underlined the need to make the digital literacy campaign wider to mitigate incidences of online abuse.

In her address to an interaction on 'women safety online' organized by the National Women Commission on Friday, Minister Sharma stressed the need to escalate the digital literary efforts down to the local level to discourage online violence.

'Technology itself is not biased. The role of technology is vital to minimize violence, instead. We can reap abundant benefits if we could utilize it,' Minister Sharma said. The Government Spokesperson pressed the idea of promoting digital education from the government to media to school curriculum and extending it to the rural level.

According to her, the government is committed to addressing the issue of online violence legally, adding that the National Cyber Security Policy and Social Sites (Use and Regulation Act) are instrumental in mitigating the cases of online abuse. The government can't overlook the issues concerning the violence taking place in cyberspace, according to the Minister.

National Women Commission Chair Kamala Kumari Parajuli called for using technology for the cause of life, underlining the need to incorporate issues about gender-based violence and changing forms of violence right from the school curriculum. Nepal Police (Cyber Bureau) Superintendent of Police, Deepak Raj Awasthi gave his presentation about the 'status of women safety online, challenges and solution'.

As he said, until mid-February, the Bureau received 5,131 complaints regarding online violence against women. 'Lately, complaints about financial fraud assisted by online have increased.'

Lalitpur metropolis deputy-mayor Manjali Shakya Bajracharya, Bhaktapur municipality deputy-mayor Rajani Joshi, and Nepal Telecommunications Authority deputy director Roja Kiran Basukala were among those putting views at the program, underlining the need for self-awareness, collective efforts and right use of technology to mitigate the problem.

Stakeholders concerned with the program spoke of the need for an integrated law against gender-based violence. The role of a family is also highlighted to address the matter. They were univocal on the proper use of technology. The program was held on the occasion of the upcoming 114th International Women's Day.

RSS