Meta and NCW team up with Farhan Akhtar’s MARD for women’s safety
Meta and NCW team up with Farhan Akhtar’s MARD for women’s safety
Meta and the National Women’s Commission, in partnership with Farhan Akhtar’s MARD, today announced the launch of a reporting campaign “Don’t Hesitate, Report, Stay Safeto improve women’s online safety. The campaign will aim to increase awareness and knowledge about the tools and resources available to users to report online abuse, inappropriate content or behavior.
Launched in English and five Indian languages – Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada and Tamil – “Do Not Hesitate, Report, Stay Safe” will educate users to report content they find objectionable rather than sharing it further.
Highlighting efforts and initiatives to create a safer Internet for users, Madhu Singh Sirohi, Head of Policy Programs and Outreach, Facebook India (Meta) said“According to research, women contribute more to economic development when they are digitally empowered and this requires building a safe Internet that drives growth and impact. At Meta, we have always strived to create tools and resources that enable a safer and more inclusive internet for women. With “Don’t hesitate, report, stay safe”, we are confident that we will be able to encourage more people to report harm online they see against women and to partner with us to create an empowering experience for women on Facebook and Instagram.
Built in consultation with various leading CSOs in India, the “Don’t Hesitate, Report, Stay Safe” campaign also aims to break existing myths such as “If I report, nothing will happen” or “If I report , it won’t stay.” anonymous”. In addition, the campaign will be help users understand that when they report content, they are in control of their experience on our apps – Facebook and Instagram.
Sharing his perspective on the partnership with Meta and the launch of the campaign, President of the National Commission for Women (NCW), Rekha Sharmasaid: “Meta has been a longtime partner of the National Commission for Women (NCW) in driving digital literacy initiatives that have encouraged more women to be part of the online journey while staying safe. These include an online resource center to address topics such as cyberbullying, cyberstalking and financial fraud and training to effectively use the online resources and grievance mechanisms available to women. To ensure greater safety for women on online platforms, users need to be educated on how to safely report problematic content. We are continuing our efforts today with the launch of this campaign to encourage more more and more users to come forward and help end the online abuse women face every day.
Speaking about the collaboration with the campaign, Farhan Akhtar, actress, director, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for South Asia and founder of the MARD (Men against Rape & Discrimination) initiative said, “At MARD, we believe in ensuring gender parity and the democratization of the internet, whereby the dignity of all users is preserved. It is important to raise your voice against online abuse and to report such content, which will help to fight against different forms of harassment. We are proud to partner with Meta and NCW to create a safer online experience for more people. ”
Meta has always strived to create a safer and more inclusive internet for women. Last year, Meta launched StopNCII.org which empowers women around the world to fight and prevent the spread of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII). Meta has also launched a Women’s Safety Center in English and 12 Indian languages that houses all the safety resources women need while browsing the platform. It includes specific resources for women leaders, journalists and survivors of abuse. In addition, it also contains on-demand video security trainings and allows visitors to register for live security training hosted in multiple languages.
