On account of International Day of the Girl Child and World Mental Health Day, ‘Digital Stree Shakti – Webinar on Online Safety of Girls’ was held on 10th October, 2020 by Soroptimist Welfare Association (SIBC) with MES’s Pillai College of Education and Research, Chembur in collaboration with Maharashtra State Commission for Women and Responsible Netism along with. The webinar focused on the online safety of girls prioritizing security measures, online protection and cyber wellness.
There were 120 female participants both from B.Ed. and D.Ed. batch of student teachers who had registered and attended the program wholeheartedly. The Session was in sync with SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
The host of the webinar, Ms. Sherry Jose (GS, PCER) welcomed the attendees and introduced the organisers and speakers for the day. The event commenced with the inaugural speech of the Chairperson of Management Board of Mahatma Education Society and Co-founder of the Pillai Group of Institutions, Dr. Daphne Pillai, congratulated the organizers for this great initiative. Ms. Yvette Lee, President of Soroptimist Welfare Association, stressed on the theme of International Day of the Girl Child – “My voice – our equal future” and threw light on the need to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges faced by girls.
“Little girls with dreams become women with vision” – quoting this the Principal of PCER, Dr. Reni Francis explained the importance of use of technology in today’s time and addressed the necessity for awareness of security of women and the sensitization towards digital safety.
The speakers for the webinar were:
- Ms. Sonali Patankar, founder of Responsible Netism and President of Ahaan Foundation, who has 25 years of experience in the field of social work and mental health.
- Mr. Unmesh Joshi, co-founder of Responsible Netism, who specializes in the field of cyber law.
Ms. Sonali Patankar displayed a presentation listing and describing the various forms of cyber harassment such as hacking, creating fake profiles, stalking, morphing, body shaming and trolling. Sharing her experience and case studies, Ms. Patankar emphasized on the dangers and after effects of such kinds of harassment on mental health. Special stress was laid on the need to stand up against such harassment and report them to guard oneself.
Mr. Unmesh Joshi dealt with the concept of cyber safety. He urged the participants to continuously update themselves about the various cyber safety measures. Mr. Joshi gave some quick tips to be cyber safe and explained the steps for security settings of major social sites such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. He explained the nature of different cyber-crimes, sections under which they are charged and the corresponding punishments.
Highlighting the importance of responsible online behaviour, they shared the contact information of Responsible Netism, Mahila Aayog helpline and cyber cells, Mumbai and Thane in case of facing instances of cyber crimes.
Upon receiving satisfactory answers to their queries, the participants in unison agreed that the webinar was a wonderful eye opener and appreciated by showing their gratitude for the session in the form of messages in the chat box.
As the session reached its last leg, Dr. Reni Francis, Principal PCER, expressed her gratitude and contentment towards the speakers and organisers for this fruitful session.
Concluding the session, the host thanked the Maharashtra State Commission for Women, Responsible Netism, Soroptimist Welfare Association and MES’s Pillai College of Education and Research, Chembur for facilitating this webinar on online safety for girls. Overall, it was an amazing educational webinar empowering the girls towards a safer future. The registered participants upon filling up the feedback form received e- certificates promptly.
The above session can be viewed by clicking the link below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EQ8EBXaoKjpDP01Ogwkoz_y6dMoxB50R/view?usp=sharing
