Create Safe Online Spaces for 50 Women at Risk

1. Executive Summary

The “Creating Safe Online Spaces for Women” project by Technology for Inspiration Initiative (InspireIT) was designed to promote digital safety, inclusion, and empowerment for women and girls navigating online platforms. The project addressed online harassment, cyberstalking, misinformation, digital privacy risks, and gender-based digital violence through training, community engagement, and policy dialogue.

Over a 6-month period, the project trained 250 women and girls, developed digital safety toolkits, facilitated online safety workshops, and established moderated peer-support spaces to foster secure digital participation.

2. Background and Rationale

Digital spaces offer women opportunities for education, entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and leadership. However, online gender-based violence (OGBV), doxxing, trolling, non-consensual image sharing, and cyber harassment disproportionately affect women.

According to UN Women, women globally face significant risks of technology-facilitated violence, which limits their participation in digital and public life.

This project was developed to:

• Strengthen digital literacy and online safety skills

• Provide practical tools for protection and reporting

• Create supportive peer communities

• Advocate for safer digital ecosystems

3. Objectives

1. Increase awareness of digital safety and privacy protection.

2. Build capacity among women to identify and respond to online abuse.

3. Create moderated safe online communities.

4. Promote responsible digital platform usage and reporting mechanisms.

5. Encourage policy discussions around gender-responsive digital governance.

4. Key Activities4.1 Digital Safety Workshops

• Conducted 4 virtual and 2 in-person workshops

• Topics covered:

  • Privacy settings on social media

  • Two-factor authentication

  • Recognizing phishing scams

  • Handling online harassment

  • Digital footprint management

4.2 Development of Digital Safety Toolkit

The toolkit included:

• Step-by-step guides for securing social media accounts

• Reporting templates for abuse

• Mental health coping strategies

• Legal resources and support services

4.3 Moderated Online Safe Space

A secure online forum was created to:

• Share experiences anonymously

• Access peer support

• Receive expert guidance from digital security facilitators

4.4 Policy Dialogue Roundtable

Stakeholders from civil society, tech communities, and academia discussed:

• Platform accountability

• Reporting gaps

• Strengthening digital safety laws

5. Outcomes and Impact

• 85% of participants improved their understanding of online safety tools.

• 70% activated two-factor authentication after training.

• Participants reported increased confidence engaging online.

• A sustainable online support community was established.

• Policy recommendations were documented and shared with relevant stakeholders.

6. Challenges

• Limited awareness of digital rights

• Stigma around reporting online abuse

• Platform reporting delays

• Digital access gaps in rural communities

7. Lessons Learned

• Practical demonstrations are more effective than theory-only sessions.

• Peer-led discussions increase engagement and trust.

• Safe spaces must be actively moderated.

• Mental health support is critical in digital safety interventions.

8. Recommendations

1. Integrate digital safety education into school curricula.

2. Strengthen partnerships with tech companies for faster reporting responses.

3. Expand multilingual digital safety resources.

4. Fund long-term digital protection initiatives for women.

9. Conclusion

Creating safe online spaces is not only about cybersecurity, it is about rights, dignity, access, and participation. Ensuring that women can fully and safely engage in digital spaces is essential for equitable development, innovation, and democratic participation.

Links:

• https://www.inspireit.com.ng