Centre mobilise stakeholders to fight online gender violence 

Centre mobilise stakeholders to fight online gender violence
NAN-HG-3
Violence
By Aisha Ahmed
Kano, Dec. 27, 2017 (NAN) The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) says a one-day seminar being organised in Kano is to mobilise stakeholders to find ways of fighting online gender based violence.
An official of the centre, Malam Muhammad Yakasai, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the purpose as to find a lasting solution to the violence against women.
He said that the centre identified the problem and conducted an indepth research on how women have been harassed violently on the Internet.
According to him, women are humans and have the right to use the Internet and the social media platforms without being molested.
“So we decided to organise a forum for women, lawyers, NGOs and the media as well as other stakeholders to brainstorm and find a lasting solution to the menace,” he said.
Another female representative of the centre, Malama Maryam Haruna, noted that women in Kano state have high access to social media.
But she explained that most of them lack enough knowledge about reporting online offences to relevant authorities.
A representative of Kano Hisbah at the meeting, Malam Muhammad Garba, warned women to mind the way they use the Internet.
He advised them to be guided by their religious and cultural norms, and that they would surely be free of online victimisation.
Malam Hamza Umar, another member of the centre, revealed that many of the culprits that harassed women online were not even aware they were doing harm to them.
He explained that there was the need for serious awareness and enlightenment on the issue of online violence so that people would know their forms.
A lecturer at Bayero University, Kano, Malama Sanaa Mu’az, proferred solution to the rampant violence on women online and advised that women must learn to use privacy measures online.
She narrated that some women only use the social media handles without much knowledge on how they operate.
NAN reports the forum was created to find solution to online violence on women. (NAN)
AAA /JIE/MST
Edited by Julius Enehikhuere/Muhammad Suleiman Tola