MW First Lady Calls for Collaboration in Fight Against Cybercrime Affecting Women
MACRA is hosting the three-day conference, which aims to advocate and empower women and girls in the fight against cybercrimes in Malawi and globally.
Lilongwe, Malawi-Malawi's First Lady, Monica Chakwera, has called for collaborative efforts to combat cybersecurity crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls in the country, writes Martin Kamlaike.
Chakwera made the call at the opening session of Malawi's second Women and Girls in Cyber Conference at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.
"Cybercrime is a problem that affects every country, no matter how developed," Chakwera said. "This is why it is so important for us to come together to face this issue head-on."
Chakwera expressed confidence that women and girls can lead the fight against cyber threats, and urged men and boys to support them.
"Let's use this conference to share best practices, build new partnerships, and ignite a passion in young women and girls who will lead the way in cybersecurity in the years to come," she said.
Moses Kunkuyu, Minister of Information and Digitalization, highlighted the importance of the conference in empowering women and girls to participate fully and safely in the digital space.
"Cybercrime issues affect everyone, but they are exacerbated when they affect vulnerable groups like women and girls," Kunkuyu said.
"This conference allows us to discuss government policies and regulations aimed at protecting girls and giving them the tools they need to speak out against cyber threats."
Kunkuyu announced that the government has drafted Child Online Protection policies that will be deliberated in the next sitting of Parliament.
He said these policies are essential for Malawi to align itself with international best practices in the fight against cybercrimes.
Bridget Chibwana, Board Chair of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), said the conference will help empower women and girls to understand and deal with cyber threats.
"We will also discuss strengthening the capacity of women and girls so that they can take part in leadership and technical support in the field of cybersecurity," Chibwana said.
MACRA is hosting the three-day conference, which aims to advocate and empower women and girls in the fight against cybercrimes in Malawi and globally.