Young women leaders from different organizations called for online protection and freedom for girls amid the global health crisis.
In an online event dubbed "Kababaihan, Kabataan, Online: An Online Youth Discussion," led by child and girls rights advocates Plan International Philippines, young women leaders from different organizations highlighted the various challenges that girls and young women face in navigating the online world amid the ongoing global health crisis.
Issues raised include the digital gender divide that affects girls' education, their vulnerability to online gender-based violence, and the need to create free and safe spaces for girls to participate and to become leaders.
Daine Torregosa of Cyan Pilipinas emphasized the hardships experienced by students and online learners during online learning.
"Being a student at this time is really challenging. The inaccessibility of some students to our remote learning setup is a main issue and up to now, we are still navigating our way through this new process. This problem needs an urgent solution. We need to ensure that no student is left behind," Torregosa said.
Dorothy Rosario, a Girls Get Equal advocate called for more women representation in tech companies.
"Tech companies are male-dominated. To protect girls from all forms of violence online and make change work for women, we need more representation in the industry. The government and the private sector should include us in crafting policies and making decisions that affect us. Girls know the problem best because they experience it," Rosario said.
"While it's true that using the Internet has risks, it is also good to note that we can use it to influence, become leaders, and even protect youth like ourselves," Raquel, a Youth Council leader, added.
Meanwhile, according to Cheska Rosal of Y-PEER, encouraged girls and young women to use the Internet to reach more people, influence, and empower others.
"Given our online setup, there are so many challenges to being an advocate today. Sometimes you'd feel like the engagement and solidarity are waning because everything's online. But we shouldn't let it stop us," Rosal said.
The online youth discussion, held on last March 27, is an effort under Plan International's #FreeToBeOnline campaign which seeks to end gender-based violence and advocate for girls and young women's freedom and safety online.