Media Matters for Democracy and Code for Pakistan brought together a dynamic group of civil society, corporate and technical stakeholders in a design thinking session focused on designing digital solutions for countering online abuse against women. The session, held at IGF 2016, was an extension of MMfD’s work to explore alternate solutions and redressal mechanisms for women facing harassment and abuse online. The session also included an introduction to Muavin, an application being developed as a community platform for internet users in Pakistan. Muavin seeks to create a way for women to connect with allies, particularly when faced with abuse on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The design thinking workshop included a brainstorming session for participants to propose their own solutions to the challenge and/or to propose amendments to the Muavin concept.
Participants in the design thinking workshop engaged in robust discussion and shared experiences from different country contexts and perspectives.