Meta is collaborating with India’s National Commission for Women and actor Farhan Akhtar‘s social campaign Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) to launch the “Don’t Hesitate, Do Report, Stay Safe” reporting campaign.
On Wednesday, Meta and the National Commission for Women, in collaboration with Farhan Akhtar’s MARD announced the launch of a reporting campaign called “Don’t Hesitate, Do Report, Stay Safe” to improve women’s online safety.
The campaign, according to Meta, will focus on raising awareness and knowledge about the tools and resources available to users to report online abuse, inappropriate content, or behavior.
‘Don’t Hesitate, Do Report, Stay Safe,’ launched in English and five Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kannada, and Tamil, will raise awareness among users about reporting objectionable content rather than sharing it further.
According to Madhu Singh Sirohi, head of policy programmes and outreach at Facebook India (Meta), women contribute more to economic development when they are digitally empowered, which necessitate the creation of a safe internet that promotes growth and impact.
“At Meta, we’ve always worked to create tools and resources that promote a more secure and inclusive internet for women. We are confident that with ‘Don’t Hesitate, Do Report, Stay Safe,’ we will be able to encourage more people to report online harms they see against women and join us in creating an empowering experience for women across Facebook and Instagram”, She continued.
According to Meta, the campaign was developed in collaboration with various leading CSOs in India, and it also aims to dispel existing myths such as “If I report, nothing will happen” and “If I report, it will not remain anonymous.”
According to the company, the campaign will help users understand that when they report content, they havecontrol over their Facebook and Instagram experience.
Rekha Sharma, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, stated that Meta has been a “long-standing partner” in driving digital literacy initiatives that have encouraged more women to participate in the online journey while remaining safe on the internet.
“These include a cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and financial fraud resource centre, as well as training on how to use online resources and grievance redressal mechanisms available to women. To ensure women’s safety on online platforms, users must be educated on how to safely report problematic content.” she continued
Farhan Akhtar, actor, director, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador South Asia, and founder of the MARD Initiative (Men against Rape & Discrimination), commented on the campaign’s collaboration, saying, “At MARD, we believe in ensuring gender parity and democratization of the internet, whereby the dignity of all users is maintained.” It is critical to speak out against online abuse and report such content in order to combat various forms of harassment. We are excited to collaborate with Meta and NCW to provide a safer online experience for more people.”
Meta launched StopNCII.org last year to empower women worldwide to combat and prevent the spread of non-consensual intimate images (NCII). Meta also launched a Women’s Safety Hub in English and 12 Indian languages, which houses all of the safety resources women require when navigating the platform. It includes resources for women leaders, journalists, and abuse survivors.
It also includes videos on demand, safety trainings, and allows visitors to register for live safety trainings in a variety of languages.
