Learning from the Pedagogies for Peace Symposium: Why We Need to Better Integrate Women, Peace, and Security and Cybersecurity in Higher Education

Why Cybersecurity and Women, Peace and Security (WPS) in the Classroom?

Research Network (RN)– WPS Pedagogies for Peace Symposium, held in Toronto from February 5th to 7th, 2025, sought to unpack pedagogies for peace. The panel on ‘how is WPS taught in higher education’ particularly stood out for me because it provided practical pedagogical knowledge on how to navigate online spaces both effectively and safely at the same time. Among other panel presentations, Dr. Luna KC's presentation focused on Critical Technology, Cybersecurity and Women, Peace and Security in the classroom settings. She incorporated this talk from her ongoing work on a women’s cyber self-defence toolkit. Commonly, discussions under the context of cybersecurity focus on popular aspects such as protection of digital infrastructure, developing and maintaining peace and security, national defence and/or border security. In higher educational institutions, many courses related to cybersecurity are still primarily taught under a couple of social science programs like International Studies or Political Science. Based on my observations of 10 publicly available course outlines specific to cyber security in International Studies and Political Science programs; majority of them center around state or institutional security and policy development. But cybersecurity is not just protecting systems or digital infrastructure, it also has an under explored dimension on individuals’ security and safety in digital spaces. So, as I learnt from the explanation, pedagogical choices in the classroom settings should go beyond traditional realms. Shifting from the dominant narrative, the presentation was an eye-opener for me as it addressed cybersecurity linked to the WPS dimension. As more women move into cyberspace and spend time on social media and share both their personal and professional information, however, such cyber engagement comes with risk, particularly for women and girls. To tackle this concern, knowing how to navigate it safely and be resilient while using it in everyday life is essential. Higher educational institutions can support and strengthen such cyber knowledge and skills.

Building on the talk, I learnt that linking cyber security and the four pillars of UNSCR 1325, namely Participation, Protection, Prevention and Relief & Recovery are central to cyber security issues. By addressing cybersecurity through the lens of UNSCR 1325 and WPS, it is possible to boost the protection of gender rights online, resist cyber violence and harassment, and support women’s active engagement in creating secure digital spaces. This connection highlights the inclusion and representation of women in digital security measures, ensuring their voices are taken seriously in decision-making processes and creating solutions. Integrating digital security education into WPS teaching effectively enables combating cybersecurity issues not just from the top-down structural level but also from an individualistic perspective. For instance, instructors in educational institutions play a key role in creating respective communities in cyberspace by teaching the importance of creating legal and ethical platforms for women to participate safely in online political and/or intellectual debates without being digitally harassed and called names.

Similarly, including lessons on data and digital identity protection in the curriculum helps to ensure digital safety, acknowledging that online harms are gendered and racialized and have real consequences in the physical world. There is strong evidence showing that women and girls from marginalized and racialized backgrounds face online violence disproportionately. The United Nations Broadband Report findings show that globally, 73% of women have been exposed to or experienced cyber violence. Under prevention, pedagogical approaches may focus on proactive measures such as enhancing digital literacy on software, algorithms and online safety practices to prevent harm before it occurs. Lastly, the relief and recovery pillar in WPS education is bound to equip learners with knowledge of secure, accessible digital services such as legal advocacy and psychological counselling for affected individuals. Therefore, to ensure the effectiveness of the above-mentioned pillars within cybersecurity education, it is necessary to provide both immediate and long-term strategies, which include increasing funding, resources, and workshops or training programs, as well as long-term strategies including the design and implementation of cyber-oriented protection policies that can be adapted to constantly changing digital threats.

The insightful presentations provided on this panel led me to reflect on the importance of integrating digital security into WPS education, not just as an ‘add on’, but taking it seriously as an essential element of peacebuilding in the digital age. Because digital security is no longer just a technical issue, it goes beyond a human rights issue that many people are still unaware of. Today’s world, where digital identity is inseparable from our real identity, such issues are often widespread and hard to manage through only rules and regulations supported by governments and institutions. In fact, digital security truly begins with individuals. That’s why bringing this topic into classrooms is essential to teach students how to protect their digital footprint, build digital resilience, and help them understand the deeper civic responsibilities tied to respectful and safe online behaviour.

Pedagogical Practices: Diverse Curricula and Inclusive Methods

As in teaching methods, what stood out to me from the presentation was diversifying course content by including reading materials from women from the Global North, South, and Indigenous communities’ perspectives. I find it particularly important so that students can learn from a variety of lived experiences from different parts of the world, challenges, and strategies in resisting digital harm. When teaching WPS studies, many classrooms tend to rely on Western-centric scholarly writings, somewhat marginalizing non-Western scholars, especially feminist scholars in the Global South. However, including the research, insights and publications from Global South scholars may help to develop a more diverse curricula and ensure a more inclusive understanding of global digital security issues.

Ensuring the classroom is a participatory space is also significant because students can have the more fully contribute to class by sharing their own perspectives. Strategies to ensure higher participation include more discussions in small groups and analyzing local cybersecurity issues through case studies using interactive games and tools. These approaches not only enhance theoretical understanding but also introduce a practical context to research and learning. For me it highlighted that teaching WPS under a digital security framework was not just about adding new content, but reforming pedagogical practices to better prepare the next generation to critically engage with and respond to the changing landscape of online violence and cyber insecurity.

Vision of Teaching Cyber Security with WPS Studies

As an emerging WPS and cybersecurity scholar, the insights I took away from the symposium have helped me to develop my own vision of teaching cybersecurity along with WPS studies. Especially in the Global South, the themes of WPS and cybersecurity are often treated as separate disciplines. However, cybersecurity education integrated with WPS becomes a powerful tool in tackling real-world problems like addressing Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV). These issues are important to focus on because, despite the location, many women activists around the world publicly experience online harassment and intimidation, particularly on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, which remain dominant platforms for both activism and abuse. Despite the opportunities and connections, these platforms are often being used to spread harmful messages through posts, comments and reactions. Rather than simply just avoiding using social media platforms, it is important to follow digital safety practices which strengthens our ability to challenge TFGBV.

Incorporating locally developed knowledge and gender aware teaching methods in cyber education may help with the critical thinking of students to challenge harmful digital environments. Though many countries have identified the significance of addressing this issue, there is still a long way to go in strengthening legal frameworks and enforcement procedures. However, acknowledging the problem is an important step forward. For instance, coming from Sri Lanka (South Asian country), I see adopting a National Action Plan (NAP) which recognizes the harm caused by online violence against women is a progressive step forward. Sri Lanka’s NAP even proposed a special unit to investigate such cybercrimes, harassment and hate speech. However, cyber education along with WPS studies provides effective and protective measures going beyond what’s written in policy documents. To create online environments that are genuinely safe and inclusive for everyone, I believe that strong collaboration between governments, individuals, and tech platforms is required to move these types of agendas forward.

Acknowledgement

I sincerely thank Dr. Luna KC, Assistant Professor at UNBC, for her mentoring and guidance in writing this blog and opening the path to WPS studies and cybersecurity and connecting me to RN-WPS.  I’m truly grateful to be a part of the pedagogical symposium. I want to thank the RN-WPS co-directors, Dr. Rebecca Tiessen, Dr. Yolande Bouka, and Dr. Megan MacKenzie, for their generous funding support, and Chelsea Dunn, plus the entire RN-WPS team, for offering me the opportunity to participate in the symposium. A special thanks to UNBC for being my academic institution and supporting my journey.