In an effort to challenge
the menace, the Creative Centre for Communication and Development facilitated a
Citizen Journalism training programme in Bulawayo North district aimed at
increasing the voices of women and girls who are challenging violence against
women and girls in the public domain using ICTs.
The training which started
on November 20 and ended on December 10 saw each participant receiving an
average of two hours per day of training.
Of the 19 women and girls
who participated in the training, all of them owned a mobile phone, 18 did not
own a computer and 1 woman had access to a computer at home shared among six
family members. 12 women and girls had never used a computer, 6 women had basic
computer skills and all of them
could not use the internet although 5 could access the internet using their
mobile phones. All of them had no knowledge of digital dangers and ways to
protect themselves from ‘cyber pigs’ once they land on the super highway.
The participants were trained to use computers and mobile phones
to access the internet and challenge Violence Against Women while staying safe
online.
A visual artist facilitated a two-day visual art
session to allow both literate and semi-literate women to express their
personal experiences on Violence Against Women.
Sazini Ndlovu, 37, one of
the participants, a vegetable vendor and a single parent says she has
communicated with strangers on Whatsup, a mobile software that allows people to
send SMS at very low costs.
The training raised
awareness on issues such as cyber-stalking, digital pornography and online harassment.
