Lao Dong reporter had an interview with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thi An - Chairwoman of the Hanoi Women Intellectuals Association, Director of the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Community Development, former National Assembly Deputy - about filling the gender equality gap in cyberspace.
Madam, from the story of many women being scammed when looking for jobs online - such as the case of a woman who just gave birth and lost nearly 60 million VND while working as a "view-grabbing collaborator", how do you view the risks that women are facing in cyberspace?
- First of all, it must be said that digital transformation has opened up many opportunities in job connection, but in reality, sophisticated scams such as online recruitment, virtual investment or "light job with high salary" have also appeared in cyberspace.
And the stories of women falling into "traps" when looking for jobs online as above are not isolated. We have received many warnings about similar cases from functional agencies.
In the context of rapid digital transformation, many women - especially freelancers, rural women or women taking care of young children - are looking for flexible job opportunities online. However, they are a very vulnerable group to scams.
So, what are the reasons why many women become vulnerable groups to scams in cyberspace like this, Madam?
There are many reasons for this. But I think there are some main reasons such as:
The first is the digital skill gap. Women have fewer opportunities to access technology training than men. Scientific studies have shown that the gender gap in digital technology still exists and needs to be addressed to ensure that no one is left behind.
Regarding digital technology access, there is a significant difference between men and women in accessing digital technology devices such as smartphones, tablets, and internet services. The proportion of women applying digital technology to life and work is lower than men due to limitations in skills and awareness. Women participate less in digital economic platforms, limiting opportunities to improve income and improve quality of life. This shows a large gap in gender equality in accessing digital technology.
Second is economic pressure and family responsibility. Women, especially freelance women, women taking care of young children or in remote and isolated areas, often have to look for jobs at home, with quick incomes, so it is easy to believe in attractive invitations such as "online collaborators", "light jobs with high salaries".
They often do not have enough skills to use digital technologies, especially online platforms. Therefore, when participating in the online environment, they are very likely to encounter risks, not distinguishing between real and fake information. When falling into such situations, psychology is often very confused and easily deceived.
The third is that scams are increasingly sophisticated, combining social networks, messaging applications and virtual bank accounts. When victims realize it, the data has been deleted and the subject has disappeared.
These things make women easily become targets of scammers in cyberspace.
Thus, this is not just a simple cybersecurity issue, but also an issue related to social security and gender equality in the digital age. According to you, what needs to be done to minimize fraud?
This is not a simple task and needs to be implemented long-term, synchronously with many solutions.
First of all, it is necessary to improve digital skills for people, especially women, filling the gap in digital skills for women. Protecting users, especially women in cyberspace, cannot just be a warning but must improve digital skills, digital skills must be considered a basic skill in modern society.
In which, it is necessary to focus on training and fostering them in skills such as identifying fake news, fraudulent recruitment news, personal information security, checking the legality of online work, financial transaction skills on the network... This can be done through socio-political organizations, professional social organizations right at the grassroots level to propagate, train, and help women improve digital skills.
Second, update and fully disseminate information, especially information about jobs. Many scammers today take advantage of people's job search needs to make attractive offers such as "light job with high salary", "simple online job".
Therefore, job introduction centers and local authorities need to clearly publicize recruitment information. For example, each commune and ward needs specific information on how many businesses are recruiting, job positions, and salaries. The more transparent these information, the easier it is for people to access official information sources and avoid scams.
Third, it is necessary to promote a safe digital ecosystem. In which, it is necessary to identify social media accounts, authenticate employers' identities or build fraud warnings... When the digital ecosystem is more transparent, risks to users, especially women, will be significantly reduced.
Fourth, the media must become a "soft shield" to protect vulnerable subjects in cyberspace such as women. Propaganda work needs to be carried out in many forms and requires the joint efforts of agencies, organizations and the community.
In addition, information directly related to women's needs such as employment, childcare services or social support... also needs to be public and transparent so that women can easily access it.
Thank you Associate Professor Dr. Bui Thi An!
We are entering the digital transformation era. If women do not grasp digital skills, it is very difficult to talk about equality. Therefore, improving digital skills for women must become a key task in the coming time" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bui Thi An said.
