Women, children and cybersecurity – Taghreed Ibrahim Al-Tasan
Tweet by Ibrahim Al-Tasan
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is witnessing important strategic transformations within Vision 2030 led by His Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as the Kingdom attaches great importance to enhancing investments in people, as it is a basic pillar for achieving sustainable development.
Among the global initiatives that fall within this vision are the two global initiatives of His Highness the Crown Prince concerned with protecting children in cyberspace and empowering women in the field of cybersecurity.
The Council of Ministers recently praised these initiatives, which reflect the Kingdom’s keenness to enhance digital security and enable target groups to acquire the necessary skills to interact with this advanced sector.
These initiatives come in response to the increasing challenges facing societies in the digital world, as it has become necessary to provide safe environments for children and ensure the ability of women to participate effectively in the fields of cybersecurity.
In light of the rapid development of technology and the dependence of children on the Internet from an early age, it has become necessary to have policies and procedures to protect them from potential dangers in cyberspace.
His Highness the Crown Prince’s initiative to protect children in cyberspace aims to enhance awareness of these risks and develop frameworks and mechanisms to deal with them effectively. The initiative reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to providing a safe environment for children on the Internet, and enabling parents and teachers to guide children and protect them from electronic risks, such as exploitation, blackmail, and security threats that may affect their psychological and physical safety.
This initiative also works to involve educational and community institutions in building awareness programs concerned with protecting children, in addition to developing technical solutions that contribute to preventing access to inappropriate content and monitoring activities that may be a source of danger to children.
Therefore, through these efforts, the Kingdom seeks to be at the forefront of countries providing innovative solutions to confront the cyber challenges facing the most vulnerable groups.
In contrast, the Child Protection in Cyberspace initiative increases the need for experts in the fields of children’s digital protection and dealing with cyber threats targeting young age groups.
This initiative creates new opportunities to employ experts in developing software and technical tools that help monitor and protect children’s digital activities.
In addition, this initiative requires experts in the legal, psychological and social fields to contribute to the development of policies and systems that support the protection of children in the digital world.
In addition to child protection, the initiative to empower women in the field of cybersecurity comes as part of the Kingdom’s strategy to support women and expand their role in all sectors, including the technical sector. In light of the continuous increase in security challenges in cyberspace, it has become necessary to expand the circle of competencies capable of dealing with these challenges. This includes supporting women and giving them opportunities to develop their skills and contribute to protecting the economy and society.
The Women’s Empowerment in Cybersecurity Initiative seeks to enhance women’s participation in this sector, by providing specialized training and guidance programs, and encouraging companies and institutions to provide career opportunities for women in the fields of cybersecurity.
This initiative reflects the Kingdom’s vision, which seeks to achieve gender parity and expand job opportunities for women, which reflects positively on the national economy and contributes to achieving social stability.
These two initiatives come within a broader framework of the Kingdom’s efforts to invest in people, which is considered one of the most important pillars of Vision 2030. Decision-makers in the Kingdom realize the importance of investing in the cybersecurity sector as it is a vital sector that supports the growth of economies, the development of societies, and the stability of countries, with increasing reliance on technology and the Internet. In all areas of life, cybersecurity has become an essential part of the national and economic security system.
Through the initiatives, entrepreneurship in the fields of technology and cybersecurity is encouraged, allowing more women and youth to enter the market by creating startups that offer innovative solutions to protect children cyber-protection or enhance digital security. This stimulating environment contributes to the creation of new job opportunities not only within large companies, but also in small and medium enterprises that play an important role in the development of the national economy.
In short, His Highness the Crown Prince’s initiatives contribute to creating an enabling environment for employing local competencies in the cybersecurity sector, whether by enhancing women’s participation or developing child protection programs.
Through these two initiatives, the digital skills required for employment in vital sectors are enhanced, which contributes to achieving the Kingdom’s aspirations towards a diversified and sustainable economy.
In conclusion, the initiatives of His Highness the Crown Prince reflect the Kingdom’s commitment to keeping pace with global developments and anticipating future challenges. By protecting children in cyberspace and empowering women in this field, the Kingdom contributes to building a safe and sustainable digital society that enables all its segments to participate effectively in its development.
