New Delhi, November 16, 2022 – Digital Shakti Campaign – The National Commission for Women (NCW) has announced the fourth phase of the Digital Shakti campaign. It is a pan-India project, which started in 2018 to empower and skill women in cyberspace. The launch of the latest phase will be a milestone in ensuring safety and security for women in cyberspace, as mentioned by the NCW Chairperson, Rekha Sharma.
The campaign is aimed at accelerating the digital participation of girls and women in getting trained to use technology to their advantage and to keep themselves safe while using digital platforms.
The larger goal of the project is to fight cyber violence against girls and women to make the internet a safer space for them.
Digital Shakti Campaign – General Overview
| Name of the Campaign | Digital Shakti Campaign |
| Phases | Four Phases Launched |
| Aim |
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| Benefits |
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| Launched by | National Commission of Women (NCW) |
| For | Girls and Women |
Digital Shakti Campaign – Aim
- The aim of the campaign is to make women and girls aware of digital violence and the ways to increase cybersecurity.
- The campaign aims at upskilling more than 10 lakh women and girls in the country in the next two years.
- It is also focused on bridging the cybersecurity knowledge gap among Indian women internet users.
- The campaign has been designed to safeguard the technology platforms – the first point of contact for criminals.
- The campaign is also working closely with the government to address several issues like trafficking, online violence, exploitation, cyberbullying, and many others.
Digital Shakti Campaign – Women Empowerment
- Research has found that women and children are the most vulnerable to cybercrime. Cybercriminals mostly target girls and women. This is why it is important to make them aware of criminal acts by increasing digital participation in learning to use technology to their advantage.
- In the fourth phase of the Digital Shakti campaign, women and girls will be empowered with the knowledge of fighting against different types of cybercrimes and remaining safe on digital platforms.
- The program focuses on teaching girls and women to be safe, along with the importance of being financially independent.
- It will also provide an understanding of the power of digital platforms by highlighting the endless possibilities and opportunities these provide to the users.
Digital Shakti Campaign – Phases
Digital Shakti campaign or ‘We Think Digital’ is a four-phased campaign to empower women against cybercrimes. The phases have been discussed below:
First Phase
- The first phase of the Digital Shakti campaign was launched at Punjab University, Chandigarh on June 18, 2018.
- The Honourable Governor of Haryana, Kaptan Singh Solanki, inaugurated the event.
- The National Commission for Women (NCW) collaborated with Facebook to spread awareness of online safety measures.
- Later on, more than 135 workshops were organised on Online Safety and Digital Literacy.
- Phase one successfully sensitised more than 60,000 girls and women across the six states in the country, namely Delhi, Haryana, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
Second Phase
- In the second phase, the campaign was renamed the ‘We Think Digital’ – Digital Shakti campaign.
- It was launched on February 11, 2022.
- An offline workshop was conducted during the launch ceremony, and over 300 women in Lucknow participated.
- More than 160 workshops were conducted and over 1 lakh women and girls were trained on topics like – Understanding Data & Digital Footprints, Fighting Misinformation, Cybercrime and Redressal, and Responsible Online Behaviour.
Third Phase
- The third phase of the campaign was launched in Leh, Ladakh on March 4, 2021.
- The campaign aimed at sensitising 1.5 lakh women and girls in the next year across the various states and regions in India.
- In this phase, to increase digital literacy and online safety, they were trained on topics like – Data Privacy and Social Media Safety, Cyber Ethics and Digital Wellbeing, and Cyberlaw, Cybercrime and Redressal.
Fourth Phase
- NCW launched the fourth phase of the Digital Shakti campaign on November 15, 2022.
- It aims at empowering girls and women to stand up against any inappropriate behaviour and event they may come across in the online space.
- Digital Shakti 4.0 is aimed at building capacity and developing skills in women and girls in the country.
- It will provide a better understanding of some of the most important agendas like – Digital Wellness, Security and Privacy Settings, Identifying Scams, Critical Thinking and Social Media Safety and reporting illegal activities on the internet.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the Digital Shakti Campaign?
The Digital Shakti Campaign is a cybersecurity awareness campaign for girls and women to spread awareness among more than 10 lakh internet users in two years. It will provide understanding and information about the various types of cybercrimes that take place in the online space. Along with this, it will also educate the users to fight against such malicious activities and find a way to stop them.
When did the fourth phase of the Digital Shakti campaign launch?
The fourth phase of the Digital Shakti campaign was launched on November 15, 2022.
Who will benefit from the Digital Shakti campaign?
Girls and women in India will benefit from the Digital Shakti campaign by being able to identify potential threats on digital platforms and learn the ways to mitigate them.
