Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
In light of the escalation of cyber extortion incidents targeting girls on social media platforms, Al-Ghaydah district in Al-Mahra governorate is witnessing a wide-ranging awareness campaign led by the Women’s Development Department. The campaign aims to enhance digital and legal awareness among female students and empower them to protect themselves from these increasing crimes.
Over the past weeks, the women’s awareness team organized educational sessions in several schools in the district, including September 26th, Khawla Bint Al-Azwar, Abdullah Tallous, and Khadija Bint Khuwailed schools. The sessions focused on:
- Defining the methods used by extortionists.
- How to deal with attempted threats.
- The importance of maintaining privacy and not sharing personal information online.
- Mechanisms for safely reporting any extortion cases.
Intisar Awad Mubarak, Director of the Women’s Development Department in Al-Ghaydah, stated that the campaign, which began last October under the supervision of the Assistant Undersecretary for Women’s Affairs, Khadija Mohammed Saad Bakreit, seeks to build an awareness protective barrier for girls in schools. She affirmed that “the correct understanding of the dangers of cyberspace is the first step to protecting oneself and society.”
Mubarak noted that the campaign will be temporarily paused after the current sessions but will be resumed later to include new schools as part of the awareness plan being implemented in cooperation with the Education Office and school principals (both male and female).
The Women’s Development Department expressed its gratitude to the Governor of Al-Mahra, Mohammed Ali Yasser, Assistant Undersecretary Khadija Bakreit, and the Education Office for their continuous support for these efforts, which aim to enhance digital literacy among girls and protect them from the risks of electronic exploitation.
