The SecDev Foundation

Two of our Iraqi partner organizations recently teamed up to help a teenage girl confront a digital assault. Dina's story showcases how community collaboration can help women protect themselves online. It’s part of our initiative to foster ecosystems of support for victims of digital violence against women - in partnership with International Development Research Centre (IDRC). https://lnkd.in/g3X8ZYVv

Our Salam@ team recently participated in ARIJ Network's 17th annual forum. It was a truly impressive gathering of reporters and fact-checkers from across the Arab world. This year’s event (“Journalism Unbound”) was all about unpacking barriers that journalists are facing. And as part of one panel, we were honoured to help tackle a big one: digital violence against female journalists. Thanks to International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for sponsoring and moderating. https://lnkd.in/ewdyKtfA

More than half of Jordan’s female journalists have faced digital violence that damages their health and dampens their voices. On Saturday, a group of those journalists launched a petition urging their employers to take steps to protect them. They are The Jordanian Network to Combat Digital Violence Against Female Journalists. We've been honoured to support them from the start—and to be working with them now as a partner. https://lnkd.in/e2mBdd4e

CyberSTAR’s super-accessible digital-safety learning tools are now available in the Ukrainian language. While they’re built for small, at-risk civil society organizations, they’re helpful for anyone looking to protect themselves online. Today's digital risk environment is tough and complex. If you’re connected to small organizations needing guidance protecting their data, staff and beneficiaries from digital harm, share CyberSTAR with them—now in Ukrainian too! https://lnkd.in/eRtQbiqX

Two more frontline stories show how our CyberSTAR approach empowers small, at-risk civil society organizations to defend themselves from digital attack—along with the people they serve. These organizations rarely have much in-house IT capacity. So CyberSTAR helps entire teams learn to recognize, avoid and respond to digital threats (and entrench their progress in policies that live on).  https://lnkd.in/eC8dfs4A

For youth in post-coup Myanmar, online education presents both precious hope and extreme challenges. Four new Foundation-supported studies explore today’s realities and what needs to happen next. Produced for International Development Research Centre (IDRC)’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative, they’re part of a series of 24 studies coming together in 2024-25. With an emphasis on digital space, all of this work is driven by young and emerging Myanmar researchers grappling with challenges their compatriots are facing in the post-coup environment. https://lnkd.in/eUabbHwQ

Reporting Against the Odds: The 2021 military coup in Myanmar plunged journalists into peril as they continue reporting on the realities of the ground. A new Foundation-supported study from EngageMedia unpacks how these resilient professionals are improvising defences to new digital threats. But it also shows why international donors must start building comprehensive digital safety into all new support for Myanmar's independent media. Video highlights: https://lnkd.in/exn-GJBv Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7r8Ye73

At their biggest gathering yet, a pioneering group of Jordanian female journalists called on media organizations, civil society and government to help combat the digital violence they face. They are the Jordanian Network to Combat Digital Violence Against Female Journalists. And we're inspired by their vision for a future where female journalists are using new digital tech to surmount old barriers—without facing digital harm or self-censoring themselves to feel safe online. We’ve been honoured to support the Network's efforts from the start, now with generous assistance from International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Digital Arabia Network (DAN) has also supported their capacity-building activities. https://lnkd.in/eA8fnCce

Last month in Amman, Jordan, we co-convened a first-of-its-kind summit of nearly 100 researchers and practitioners who are tackling digital violence against women (DVAW) across the MENA region. This was a time to process the achievements of a truly groundbreaking research initiative that’s been driven by women across the region. This was also a space for an incredible group of thinkers and doers to continue unpacking the psychosocial and legal complexities of DVAW—and to strategize new ways to support MENA women on the road ahead. Sincere thanks to our co-convenors—Information and Research Center - King Hussein Foundation and International Development Research Centre (IDRC)—and to so many other partners in this ongoing effort. https://lnkd.in/eFY9gwsz

In post-coup Myanmar, the repressive tactics that people face increasingly stretch into digital space. Now a group of independent Myanmar researchers is unpacking how all of this plays out in people’s daily lives. Many of these courageous scholars are young and emerging, and they hail from both inside the country and the diaspora. Alongside International Development Research Centre (IDRC), we’ve been pleased to support their efforts. Here are the first three of 20+ research studies in the pipeline, all in English: https://lnkd.in/gdkTGXW5