FISD joins British Council to launch social media campaign for women’s day
Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD), in partnership with British Council Sri Lanka, launched a Social Media campaign #LetsGetSmart with #AFutureWithoutVioelnce to coincide with International Women’s Day (IWD2023).
The main aim of this initiative is firstly to effectively confront Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) actively in cyberspace, discourage victim blaming and hate speech culture in wider society and seek support from service providers to educate women and girls on Digital Technology and Services available to ease day to day activities.
The program also hopes to encourage women and girls to use digital technology safely through capacity building.
It also aims to raise awareness and promote the use of digital technology as a human right and rights of women and to encourage girls not to be confined to gender stereotypes (to eradicate ‘prim and proper’ culture for women in social media and prevent the conception of digital technology as a ‘scare-monger’ for women and girls).
Foundation for Innovative Social Development Program Director Samitha Sugathimala said: “The ways in which technological giants have developed and used information and communication are irreversibly shaped by the weight of patriarchy, capitalism, and colonialism.”
“As an organization based on feminist principles, we wish to amplify inclusive and intersectional approaches to address systemic discriminations and violations of rights against all women and girls through technology and in all digital spaces.”
“We call for a liberating and more feminist technology where we encourage collaborative digital approaches for continuous resistance and transformation.”
British Council Sri Lanka Country Director Orlando Edwards said, “I believe this year’s theme, ‘Digit ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’ is timely and relevant.”
“We must stand in solidarity with them in claiming that space. We must accept and honour the importance of digital investment for women and girls to help them accomplish social, economic, cultural, and political growth. Let us be accountable allies in exploring the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic inequalities and creating a safer space for women to access and benefit from the digital world.”
While launching the social media campaign, the event aims to provide a networking opportunity for diverse groups of civil society activists, academics, researchers and media and those working in the development sector to come together to raise their voices in reducing the Digital Gender Gap.
Foundation for Innovative Social Development (FISD) has been functioning since 2011 as a social development organization in three thematic areas: Child Rights Protection and Promotion, Gender and Development: Prevention of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) and Alcohol and Drug prevention.
Under the Gender and Development: Prevention of SGBV program, FISD works in four project locations: Monaragala, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Hambantota and its commitments are designed to contribute to the National Plan of Action to address SGBV (2016-2020) within its prevention and empowerment plan through the establishment of community empowerment model communities to effectively prevent root-causes of SGBV.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, FISD continued its activism by shifting online and utilizing teleconferencing platforms to reach communities, where it was observed that the prolonged digital-gender gap among women was a major challenge that hindered this empowerment process.
FISD has been in a long-term partnership with the British Council Sri Lanka since 2016.