The Women’s Support and Anti-Violence Unit at Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the Faculty of Arts, organized a symposium entitled “The Safety in the age of Keyboard,” coinciding with International Women’s Day and in celebration of Women’s Month (March) each year, under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of the University, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, Prof. Hanan Kamel, Dean of the Faculty of Arts.

In the presence of the Vice Deans: Prof. Muhammad Ibrahim, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Hatem Rabie, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Prof. Hanan Salem, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Community Service and Environmental Development, and a group of faculty staff, male and female students.

Prof. Hanan Kamel, Dean of the Faculty, praised the efforts made by the Women’s Support and Anti-Violence Unit at the university in providing support and awareness seminars to protect male and female students from the dangers of violence, especially electronic violence.

Prof. Hind Al-Hilali, Executive Director of the Women’s Support and Anti-Violence Unit, expressed her thanks to the Faculty of Arts for hosting, stressing the Faculty’s keenness to spread the culture of awareness and strengthen the protection policy adopted by the university. She stressed the importance of the symposium for male and female students to learn about the types of cyber violence and what are the risks that young people are exposed to while using Internet.

Prof. Muhammad Ibrahim praised the university’s role in achieving support, in addition to the role of the Women’s Support and Anti-Violence Unit, and the necessity of educating male and female students about the dangers surrounding them, the most prominent of which is currently dealing with social media and its excessive use, stressing the importance of the student being fully aware and vigilant when using these means and that they should use them. Positively and with extreme caution.

Prof. Hatem Rabie, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Postgraduate Studies and Research, appreciated the academic, cultural and awareness role of the university, as well as its keenness to spread cultural awareness and provide a safe environment for male and female students. He directed the need for caution in dealing with social media, and also addressed the dangers of cyber violence and electronic life.

Prof. Suheir Safwat, Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Education, at Ain Shams University, spoke about electronic blackmail and how to confront it. She pointed to the common slogan of the 21st century within society, which is (I am afraid), despite the provision of existing security and safety requirements. This is a result of not knowing the thinking of the other party and the difference in agreed-upon standards. Accordingly, fear, insecurity, fluidity, and leniency in standards, as (there is no fixed standard and no fixed values) have spread within society, and the frequent use of fake identities for some people behind screens and social communication.

Dr. Amani Abdel-Al, a clinical psychologist at the unit, indicated how to protect against exposure to electronic blackmail, how to seek help, and the platforms through which they can seek help and encourage them to do so when exposed to a type of blackmail, through the Women’s Support and Anti-Violence Unit, Internet Investigations, and the National Council for Women, and the importance of self-strengthening, and self-confidence to combat violence in all its forms, in addition to the importance of the family for every male and female student and that it is their first line of defense and a call on them to strengthen relationships with their families.