Minister hopes women be more empowered in digital space

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid hopes that Indonesian women will be more empowered in the digital space and can increase their contribution to developing the national digital technology ecosystem.

Based on the ministry's press statement confirmed on Saturday, she said that currently, women comprise 49.1 percent or almost half of the 221.56 million internet users in Indonesia.

However, only 27 percent of women actively work in the technology sector, still far below the global average of 40 percent, she said.

Meutya emphasized the importance of increasing literacy and skills to strengthen the role of women in the development of digital technology.

She believes increasing digital literacy for women needs to be done from an early age.

"Self-confidence must be taught from an early age through the courage to speak up and express opinions. The internet should be used to access knowledge," she said.

Meutya also highlighted factors that could hinder women's empowerment in the digital space, such as the rise of gender-based violence and the spread of pornographic content on digital platforms.

In the past four years, the government has recorded handling 1,902 cases of online gender-based violence and more than 5.5 million pieces of child pornography content.

The government is working to create a safe and gender-equitable digital space to address such issues.

These efforts include the implementation of Government Regulation Number 17 of 2025 concerning the Governance of Electronic System Implementation in Child Protection or PP Tunas.

The regulation requires digital platform providers to strive for a safe digital space and encourages citizens to be wise in using digital space.

"Indonesia is the second country in the world after Australia to implement this regulation. We want to ensure children are protected from exposure to negative content and digital addiction," Meutya said.