On 8th March 2024, we celebrate women globally for their progress in achieving equality and inclusion. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is “Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.”
The liberties women enjoy today result from years of advocacy for equal opportunities through policy reforms, access to education, political representation, economic empowerment, and deconstructing social and cultural norms and beliefs perpetuating inequalities. While progress has been made, inequality persists, and the online space is no exception.
Technological advancements, on the one hand, have created opportunities for women in terms of access to education, platforms for political, career, and financial advancements, and connections and collaboration.
However, at KICTANet, we continue to observe the disproportionate effects online gender-based violence, privacy breaches and cyber attacks have against women on online spaces. The inclusion of women’s voices in ICT-related decision-making processes at national and organisational levels is still low, with gender pay gaps and unfavourable working conditions affecting the few women who enter the sector.
As we reflect on the gains made towards women’s digital rights, this year’s theme reminds us of the strides we must continue making to realise women’s inclusion in digital spaces and the progression of women’s digital rights. Investing in programs that promote safe and inclusive online spaces for women is key to accelerating women’s progress.
At KICTANet, we stand with women in Kenya and worldwide and reinforce our commitment to advocating for women’s digital rights through our four work pillars: research, capacity building, multistakeholder engagement, and policy advocacy. We call upon our partners and friends to join in the work to create safe and inclusive online spaces for women to accelerate progress towards achieving SDG5 goals.
Happy International Women’s Day!
Dr. Grace Githaiga, Convenor and CEO of KICTANet.
