Why We Included Digital Safety and Security in This Year's SAW Line-Up

 


As more opportunities move online, digital skills have become increasingly important for women looking to learn, work, build businesses and participate in today's economy. But beyond knowing how to use digital tools, there is another important question: How safe are women when they navigate the digital world?

This question informed our decision to include Digital Safety and Security in this year's SkillHer Skills Acquisition Workshop (SAW) programme.

Beyond Acquiring Digital Skills

The internet has opened doors to learning, entrepreneurship, professional networking and economic opportunities. However, these opportunities also come with risks, including online harassment, cyberbullying, identity theft, phishing scams, privacy violations and the unauthorised sharing of personal information.

For women, these experiences can affect confidence, limit participation and discourage them from fully embracing digital opportunities.

At SkillHer, we believe that equipping women with digital skills without preparing them to recognise and manage these risks leaves an important gap in their learning journey.

Whether managing a business page, applying for a remote job or participating in an online community, women need to understand how to protect their personal information, secure their accounts and navigate online interactions safely.

Taking the Conversation Further

As part of the latest SAW programme, we featured a dedicated session on Digital Safety and Security on Saturday, about a month ago facilitated by Bisola Adediji, Project Lead at SafeHerClinic.



SafeHerClinic, an initiative of the CyberSafe Foundation, is a women-centred digital security clinic supporting survivors of technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Guided by the principles of Seen, Guided and Protected, it provides support for women experiencing online harassment, digital surveillance and other forms of technology-enabled abuse.

Having Bisola and the SafeHerClinic team contribute to this conversation brought an important perspective to our programme. It reinforced the need for practical digital protection, accessible support systems and greater awareness of where women can seek help when online spaces become unsafe.

We appreciate their contribution to making digital safety a more visible part of conversations around women's empowerment.

Building Women Who Are Ready for the Digital Future

The future of work, entrepreneurship and learning will continue to be shaped by technology. We want women to be part of that future as confident participants, creators, professionals and entrepreneurs.

Including Digital Safety and Security in this year's SAW line-up was therefore a deliberate choice. It reflects our belief that empowerment should be holistic.

It is not enough to teach women how to access opportunities. We must also equip them with the knowledge, confidence and support to navigate those opportunities safely.

Because a safer digital future is one we must build together.

Learn more about SafeHerClinic: https://safeherclinic.cybersafefoundation.org/

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