Programme Director,
Moira de Roche, Vice-President, Computer Society of South Africa,
Louise van der Bank, Chief Information Officer, AfriSam South Africa,
Maria Tsvere, National Secretary, Forum for African Women Educationalist Zimbabwe Chapter,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Members of the media.
I am honoured to be here this morning, barely a week before the start of Women’s Month. When the women of 1956 marched on the Union Buildings they had little idea that their actions would resonate through history and continue to inspire us today. Similarly, I hope our presence here today will motivate the women of South Africa, Africa and the world to continue to strive for the advancement of women’s rights.
As South Africans we take our rights for granted and tend not to make the most of the opportunities available to us, opportunities that the women of 1956 and many others have sacrificed and fought for. The ICT sector is one area where women can, should and are flourishing.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Exactly a week ago we marked Nelson Mandela Day, which is now recognised by the United Nations in honour of our country’s elder statesman and his unsurpassed compassion to his fellow human beings. It was Tata Madiba himself who said that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Those words still ring true today and more so in the ICT sector. It is through empowering young women with an education in information and communication technology that we can open up a whole new world for them.
Already young women today are embracing technology in a myriad of formats. Despite some challenges in our ICT sector I think it is important to note that we have reached a mobile penetration rate of over a 100 percent. There are few young women today who don’t know how to use a cell phone.
I have no doubt that the women of 1956 would have used Twitter and Facebook to coordinate a bigger and better revolution. What concerns me is what the young women of today are using ICTs for. It is important that we direct young women to using ICT to empower themselves and the communities that they live in.
The Department of Communications has taken steps to promote the use of ICTs among young women. Last year we finalised our Gender and ICT Strategy that will ensure that more women are brought into the department and the state owned entities that report to us. Our Gender Directorate has also supported and initiated a number of programmes to bring more young women into the ICT field.
The Mobi Net for Girls project encourages girls to participate in technology fields and consider technology as a career and also increases computer literacy among girls. The objective of the programme was to provide relevant information for girls on issues of concern to them e.g. issues on online safety, sexual and reproductive health and rights. This was a joint project between the Department of Communication and Girls’ Net. In addition to this we also hosted citizen journalism and social media workshops teaching girls about using online technology to share their experiences and get their messages out.
Distinguished guests,
We realise that the ICT sector is still male-dominated. We are determined to involve more women in this area. To that end we have implemented the Techno-girl Programme as it is a valuable platform to expose young high school girls to career opportunities in the ICT sector.
It furthermore provides the department and its State Owned Enterprises, with the opportunity to share and disseminate information about the benefits of ICTs, such as the internet, telecommunications, radio and television, to young people, in particular young girls. It further shows them how ICTs can assist them to access educational information in an easy and accessible manner.
The Techno-girl programme is more than just a job shadowing program. It is a stepping stone for all the girls who participate in it. It exposes them to the ICT sector and is window that provides them entrance to a whole new way of communicating and disseminating information through technology. This consequently enables these young girls to become digital citizens.
These platforms have been an eye-opener as young women are able to relate their experiences of rape, sexual harassment and forced marriages and in doing so find comfort and support from their peers.
The online environment, while open to abuse, also allows young women to protect themselves from the scourge of violence that is unfortunately all to prevalent in our society. ICTs provide women with an opportunity to protect themselves. Mobile phones and social networks allow women to quickly get assistance, provide support structures and share information on crime as well as their experiences and to document threats and other wrongful acts. The anonymity of the online environment also allows women to disseminate their thoughts and experiences without fear of unnecessary exposure or persecution.
The Protection from Harassment Act 11 of 2010 ensures that women are able to take action against those who use electronic communication to harass them. The Department of Communications is currently establishing a Cyber Security Centre to further protect women, amongst others, from online predators. Online child safety is another area that we are delving into in order to ensure that our young girls, and boys, are safe in the new online environment.
Ladies,
Let me also take this opportunity to salute you. Every women that is involved in the ICT sector today serves as an inspiration to the millions of young women in our country and beyond. When we push the boundaries of the ICT environment, it is a signal that they too can also strive for new heights.
The International Telecommunications Union has earmarked the 25 April as the “Girls in ICT Day.” This with the aim of ensuring that more women consider a future in technology as a career. I hope that moving forward that we in the private, public and NGO fields will use this day to introduce young women to the technology field. If we are to transform this sector it is our responsibility as women in the ICT sector to do more to empower our young women out there. I hope that this conference will enable us to share our experiences and come up with a plan of action to ensure that we in the different sectors of society find each other and bring more young women into this exciting and ever-changing environment.
Our children today are growing up in a world far removed from the one in which we lived. Technology has changed the way we work, live and socialise with each other. Women need to seize their space in this new environment and use it to further empower themselves and improve their lives and that of society as a whole.
On the 12th of July the United Nations marked ‘Malala Day.’ This day honoured the courage of teenaged Pakistani schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head last year for advocating the rights of young women to an education. I like many others are inspired by her words of courage and I leave you with these from her address to the United Nations:
“The terrorists thought they would change my aims and stop my ambitions, but nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.”
Let us through the use of information and communication technology, work together in instilling the values of strength, power and courage in our young women. We owe this to the women of 1956 and our predecessors to continue the struggle for women’s emancipation.
I thank you!
