New Delhi, Aug 17 : Meta and the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Wednesday joined forces with actor Farhan Akhtar’s MARD (Men against Rape and Discrimination) to announce the launch of an initiative to report “Don’t hesitate, Report and Stay Secure” to increase the security online of women.The campaign will concentrate on educating the public about the tools and resources that are available for users to report online abuse or inappropriate content, as well as behavior that is inappropriate.
The campaign was launched in English as well with five languages from the region: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada and Tamil.It will raise awareness among users to report the content they find offensive instead of sharing it further.
“With Don’t Be Afraid, Do Report Stay Safe’, we’re confident that we’ll be able to motivate more users to report online crimes they witness against women and work with us in creating a more positive experience for women across Facebook and Instagram,” said Madhu Singh Sirohi who is the Head of Policy Programmes and Outreach, Facebook India (Meta), in a statement.
Meta is also an ongoing partner of the NCW in implementing digital literacy initiatives.
These include an online resource center to tackle with issues such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and financial frauds, as well as training on how to use online resources effectively and grievance redressal procedures available to women.
“To ensure the safety of women on the internet users must be educated on how to report suspicious content.
We are stepping up our efforts on this day with the launch of this campaign that aims to inspire the increasing number of users to report issues and help stop online harassment which is a reality for women every day, stated Rekha Sharma, NCW Chairperson.
Created in collaboration with several of the most prominent civil society organizations in India The campaign also aims to dispel common myths, such as “if I report, nothing will take place” or “If I do report the incident, it will not remain completely anonymous”.
In addition the campaign will assist users realize that when they share content, they are in the control of their experiences both on Facebook as well as Instagram.
“It is crucial to speak your voice in opposition to online harassment and to report content, which can aid in tackling different forms of harassing,” said Akhtar Director UN Women Goodwill Ambassador South Asia and Founder MARD Initiative.
Meta has always put forth efforts in making an internet that is safe and welcoming for women.In the year 2000, Meta launched StopNCII.org that empowers women around the globe to combat and stop the spread of intimate images that are not consensual (NCII).
Meta also created the Safety Hub for Women in English and 12 Indian languages.The hub includes all the safety resources women require when using the platform.
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