DESPITE their vital contributions to social and economic progress, women are 27 times more likely to be cyber bullied on through digital platforms compared to men, a recent study by Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has revealed.

Miriam Wanjiru kutoka PIN told participants of a one day capacity building workshop on Digital Security and Data Protection which brought together 37 young politicians and women leaders from Tabora, Singida, and Dodoma regions.

It was organized by the Tanzania Media for Community Development (TAMCODE) in collaboration with Youth Environmental Justice and Gender Equality (YOGE) with Support from PIN— a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with headquarters in Lagos , Nigeria. The NGO works in a number of African countries including Kenya, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Senegal, among others.

Wanjiru said that politicians must reach and communicate with their voters through various means, including digital platforms, which is why the organization found it important to conduct the training. She said women are vulnerable to harassment as they are normally threatened, or humiliated through digital platforms such as social media, emails, messaging apps and websites.

“We have also trained women leaders and young politicians in different countries to equip them with perquisite knowledge on how to safely use the internet especially during election campaigns,” she said.

Wanjiru added: “We have taught female politicians how to protect themselves as well as others. These leaders have been equipped with essential tools to enhance their effectiveness and digital safety during and after campaigns for meaningful community development.”

She said women face significant discrimination especially in their quest for political seats.

One of the beneficiaries of the training, Khamida Maftaa, Chairperson, NCCR Mageuzi in Dodoma District said: “I have learned many things that will help me and the society. I am grateful to the organizers; I would wish similar training to be provided to us before General Election next year.”

Maftaa suggested that the training be provided to students, especially those at universities, as they are the ones who use social media to post unethical content and pictures.

“People post pictures that endanger their lives on platforms like X, Instagram and Facebook. This is dangerous as people with bad intentions may take the pictures and use them to tarnish your reputation,” she said.

Silvia Mng’anya, Secretary of the Chadema’s women wing in Dodoma District said: “I enjoyed the training because I learned many things I didn’t know, such as how to protect my personal information and how we, politicians, should use social media to promote our work and activities we execute within the community.”

Mng’anya pledged to share the gained knowledge with her fellow politicians, especially women. She said: “As we approach local government elections, I will use social media to encourage people to register in the voter’s registration book and make sure they protect themselves."

TAMCODE Executive Director, Rose Ngunangwa said they aim to raise awareness on digital security and protection among women leaders.

Ngunangwa noted that since its launch in April 2024 with backing from Article 19, the project has empowered 80 young politicians, women leaders, and journalists at the local government level. In addition to the recent participants, 43 women leaders and young politicians from Morogoro, Dar es Salaam, and Coast regions received similar training in April this year.