Africa-Press – Tanzania. A special seat MP, through the Tanzania Mainland Civil Society Organisations (NGOs) Neema Lugangira, has urged the government to expedite the establishment of the Digital/Data Private Policy.
The policymaker noted that the introduction of such a policy will shield women who most bear the brunt of cyber bullying.
“What does our ICT policy say about women…we therefore need to revisit it and come up with policies that are gender sensitive,” opined the legislator on the sidelines of the 5th Tanzania Annual Information and Communications Technology(ICT) Conference held here midweek.
The MP further challenged the government to enable the current digital ecosystem to create an online space which is safe for everyone, including the women.
“We normally see no reaction when women are abused online, it’s like we deserve to be treated to such attacks which are sexualised,” she alleged.
According to Ms Lugangira, digital spaces can be empowering places for opinion-formation, debate and mobilisation.
However, cyber bullying restricts the opportunities offered by digitalization.
“Young people, especially women are put off from taking part in political discussions or online debates,” she suggested.
The lawmaker equally called for the bridging of the Digital gap, saying most of the hubs and interventions were urban based, thus locking out rural women.
With rising smartphone and internet usage in the country, more Tanzanians than ever before are making the most of these tools, and while they can be great for staying in contact with friends, posting content and advertising your business, there is a dark side to social media – also known as cyberbullying.
This is a form of harassment or bullying inflicted through the use of electronic or communication devices such as computer, mobile phone, and laptop.
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