South Sudan: Bridging the Digital Gender Gap

Transcript

1. South Sudan: Bridging the Digital Gender Gap Presented By: Christina N. Benjamin
2. Background •  The Republic of South Sudan is a country in East Africa which gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011 after a referendum resulted in a 98% vote in favor of secession. •  With a population of about 13 million, the world’s newest country has one of the highest illiteracy rates at 70%. The overwhelming majority of this percentage is women. •  Due to decades of war with Sudan and most recently 5 years of civil war, the educational system has greatly deteriorated.
3. Why increase digital literacy among women? •  Achievement of SDGs •  Womens empowerment- more connected, safer, have access to life enhancing information •  Financial inclusion- many women in SS lack access to financial institutions •  When women thrive, economies thrive.
4. Identifying Barriers •  Cost- women in South Sudan are unable to afford mobile handsets and data fees due to economic instability and lack of control over household funds •  Safety- issues of harassment, theft, rape, loss of life •  Accessibility- lack of network coverage. SS has one of the least developed telecommunications systems and internet in the world. •  Usability/Skills- lack of knowledge on how to use mobile handsets and services •  Social and Cultural Norms •  Lack of gender aggregated data- difficult to collect data in conflict zones
5. Identifying Barriers •  Please watch this video from UN Women in which South Sudanese women themselves identify the barriers they face: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtku-BWLaCA
6. Addressing the Barriers Stakeholders must work hand in hand in order to address the barriers facing women in achieving digital literacy. Ideally efforts should be led by the SS Government by: •  Increasing its capacity and resources by reaching a lasting peace agreement that will end the current conflict- other stake holders will be more likely to invest in and develop SS’s telecommunications systems and internet services •  Making gender consideration an integral part of policies, plans, and budgets •  Creating a holistic strategy to ensure gender equality in ICT programs •  Consult and involve women and other relevant communities •  Ensuring cooperation and communication between other relevant stakeholders
7. One Step at a Time •  Despite the current civil war, efforts to increase ICT education in South Sudan still exist. •  For example, the first South Sudan ICT for Development Conference was held in the capital, Juba in 2015.
8. One Step at a Time In this 2 minute audio clip, the former Minister of Telecommunications & Postal Services, Hon. Rebecca Joshua Okwaci, describes the growing awareness of the benefits of connecting women to technology despite the challenges the country faces. https://news.un.org/en/audio/2014/09/591932
9. One Step at a Time A 2017 study by GSMA describes in depth the growth of mobile economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Even in South Sudan, despite all the challenges, there is still growth.
10. References •  https://www.oxfam.org/en/south-sudan/small-business-owners- working-against-odds-help-rebuild-south-sudan •  https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/education.html •  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ od.html •  http://girlseducationsouthsudan.org/south-sudan-education-statistics/ •  https://en.unesco.org/news/south-sudan-accelerates-icts-all-sectors-0 •  https://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/media-and- telecommunications-landscape-guide-south-sudan-august-2017 •  https://www.gsmaintelligence.com/research/? file=7bf3592e6d750144e58d9dcfac6adfab&download