H.E. Sheikha Sheikha bint Jassim Al Thani, Assistant Undersecretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Social Development and Family, participated in the symposium “Women in the Digital Age: Between Empowerment and Cyber Violence” organized by the National Human Rights Committee with the participation of national entities concerned with women’s rights.

In her opening remarks, Sheikha Sheikha underscored the importance of advancing women’s digital empowerment while ensuring robust protection from online risks.

 She noted that the symposium coincides with the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, which the Ministry is implementing in cooperation with various national partners to strengthen prevention and protection measures.

She emphasized the need to link digital empowerment with combating cyber violence—highlighting that access to technology is a fundamental human right, while online abuse remains a growing challenge requiring effective safeguards in line with CEDAW and UN principles on gender-based violence.

Sheikha Sheikha also reaffirmed the State’s strong commitment to women and family issues, noting that this year the Ministry coordinated national efforts by developing a unified calendar for the 16-day campaign, reflecting extensive inter-agency collaboration.

She further aligned Qatar’s efforts with this year’s UN theme “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls”, stressing the significance of the UN Cybercrime Convention adopted in December 2024 as the first binding international instrument addressing digital violence.

The Assistant Undersecretary highlighted that achieving sustainable development requires equipping women and girls with digital skills, ensuring safe access to technology, and enabling their participation in policy-making.

She concluded by commending the Ministry of Interior’s leading role in combating cybercrime and the National Cyber Security Agency’s efforts in governance, risk management, and data protection. She also thanked the National Human Rights Committee for organizing the event, expressing hope that the discussions would yield actionable recommendations to enhance digital safety for women.