Empowering women by strengthening digital security in the Solomon Islands

Excerpt and Photo from asiapacific.unwomen.org

To address growing online security concerns, especially those faced by women leaders and women Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), UN Women, in partnership with the Solomon Islands’ Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, and with the support of Australia’s Cyber and Critical Technology Cooperation Program, has organized a two-day capacity-building workshop in Honiara.

Held on 30-31 January 2025, the workshop was tailored to the local needs of women CSOs and informed by the findings of recent digital security research by UN Women and the UN University Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) which highlighted the disproportionate risks faced by women-led CSOs.

For example, 53 per cent of women-led CSOs reported experiencing disinformation (sometimes, often, or very often), compared to 43 per cent of non-women-led CSOs, according to the report, Cybersecurity Threats, Vulnerabilities and Resilience Among Women Human Rights Defenders and Civil Society in South-East Asia.

Additionally, 51 per cent of women-led CSOs had faced online harassment, versus 34 per cent of non-women-led CSOs.

The workshop brought together 32 women CSO representatives from across the Solomon Islands. Through practical exercises and expert-led discussions, participants strengthened their knowledge of cyber hygiene, cyber resilience and AI literacy.