A multi-stakeholder community talk titled Combating Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Current Landscape, Opportunities, Challenges, and Strategic Responses was held on Tuesday in Barishal.
The event was organised by the Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) as part of its ongoing project, Strengthening Resilience Against Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) & Promoting Digital Development.
This initiative is part of the Nagorikata: Civic Engagement Fund (CEF) Programme, which is implemented with technical support from GFA Consulting Group and funded by the Embassy of Switzerland and Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
The community talks brought together 42 participants from a wide range of sectors, including local administration, representative from Barishal Cyber Police unit, District Women Affairs officer, Educators, the Internet Service Provider Association, women-led NGOs and women's rights organisations, as well as representatives from SANAK, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, The Hunger Project, MJF, the Web Foundation, youth organisations, and Aparajeyo Bangladesh. The event also engaged youth leaders, media professionals, YouTubers, content creators and academia.
The primary objective of the talks was to foster community-driven solutions, encourage strategic networking, and build collaborative partnerships to create safer digital spaces and a resilient digital development ecosystem.
AHM Shamsul Islam, Mission Head of Speed Trust, welcomed the participants, outlined the event's objectives and expected outcomes, and moderated the whole session.
A key session titled Understanding Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence was facilitated by AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of BNNRC. This session explored the definitions, forms, impacts, and existing legal and policy frameworks for addressing TFGBV.
During her short visit to the programme, Katharina König, Deputy Team Leader of the Civic Engagement Fund (CEF), graciously provided an overview of the Nagorikata initiative. She thoughtfully articulated the CEF's objectives, key outcomes, stakeholders, governance structure, and targeted beneficiaries.
She emphasised the three foundational principles guiding the CEF: the significance of collaborative partnerships and co-creation as essential practices, a commitment to leaving no one behind (LNOB) whenever feasible, and the importance of being versatile and responsive to change.