Facebook has partnered with UN Women Bangladesh to conduct a daylong virtual programme on digital citizenship and online safety for over 80 participants from 30 grassroots and community organizations in Bangladesh.

Representatives from Facebook led sessions covering a wide range of topics including managing digital presence, privacy tools, and online safety for women.

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“Women around the world are empowered by digital tools to organize for causes they care about. At Facebook, we continue to invest in digital literacy and citizenship, resiliency, and safety programs around the world, including Bangladesh. We are delighted to partner with UN Women in Bangladesh as we support and promote communities led by women and invested in women,” said Beth Ann Lim, Director of Policy Programs for Facebook in Asia Pacific.

This workshop marks a continuation of Facebook’s partnership with UN Women Bangladesh which began on International Women’s Day in March this year, through LedByHer, a social media campaign to feature Bangladeshi women leaders and the role that digital platforms can play to tell their stories and build resilience.

Later this year, Facebook and UN Women Bangladesh will be hosting a series of intergenerational dialogues between women of different ages from the same fields.

Shoko Ishikawa, Country Representative for UN Women Bangladesh said digital space has given a new dimension to gender-based violence that continues to be normalized and embedded in our societies.

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UN Women Bangladesh is working with public and private universities to build the capacity of young women for creating positive content and counter misogynistic speech, she said.

“We thank Facebook for this partnership and hope it will help organizations working on women empowerment, human rights and marginalized populations to use digital tools more effectively and build a more inclusive community.”

Facebook regularly engages with civil society groups in Bangladesh and around the world to help inform its policies and programs.

This workshop is just one of its investments to build a safer digital space in Bangladesh, especially for women.

The company has plans to build on the workshop and work closely with organizations and community groups to increase their capacity and help create a more informed and responsible online community.

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Last year, Facebook launched its flagship program We Think Digital in Bangladesh in partnership with the ICT Division, Ministry of Education and UNDP Bangladesh.

This global program helps people improve their digital capabilities and promotes responsible digital citizenship, as well as critical thinking and sharing thoughtfully online.