Welcome to Day 1

of the 11 Days of Action!

In the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic and as the world becomes more reliant on digital technology, the gender digital divide has become increasingly apparent, including its impact on girls’ access and inclusion in the digital world.

Since much of the world started working virtually from home, the work of the global feminist movement and gender equality advocacy at the UN has changed drastically. We have had to totally rethink our methods of advocacy to adapt to the new normal. How can we create impactful change towards equality for women and girls without being able to meet and work in-person?

NGO CSW/NY experienced these challenges firsthand with our first-ever virtual NGO CSW Forum in March 2021. Rather than gather in-person in New York City for the NGO CSW65 Forum, we focused our efforts on creating and hosting a totally virtual Forum in an intersectional and inclusive way, with an emphasis on a shared leadership model. The virtual engagement leading up to and during the Forum was above and beyond what we expected. We reached a record-breaking number of 27,000 participants and over 700 events!

However, with the huge amount of participation, we knew that the online safety of our participants was of the utmost importance. To maintain attendees’ safety and a respectful online environment, we developed a set of Virtual Safety Guidelines and set up a direct channel for reporting any violations of the Guidelines.

It’s especially important that digital spaces like the NGO CSW Virtual Forum are safe for girls since young women and girls are more likely to have personally experienced online violence. NGO CSW/NY is committed to keeping girls and gender non-conforming children safe on our virtual platform and in all of our virtual spaces. Ensuring the safety of girls in digital spaces is essential in expanding girls’ access to tech and closing the gender digital divide.

Learn more and discuss girls’ access to safe, reliable, and digital technology during our Twitter chat on 1 October at 11AM EDT!

Instagram: @ngo_csw_ny

Twitter: @ngo_csw_ny

Facebook: NGO CSW/NY (facebook.com/NGOCSWNY)

#GirlsInSTEM #GenderDigitalDivide #SafeTech4Girls #DigitalInclusion4Girls #NGOCSWForum