Digitally Right conducted a series of workshops in September 2024 to promote awareness and capacity building in Civic Technology among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Bangladesh. These workshops aimed to empower CSOs and young tech professionals to leverage civic tech solutions for social good, transparency, accountability, and gender empowerment.

On 21 September, two workshops focused on Data for Social Good and Civic Participation and Transparency and Accountability. Led by experts Dr. Ananya Raihan and Mohammad Tauhidul Islam, participants explored open data, data privacy, and data-driven civic tech projects that enhance government accountability and fight corruption. Real-world case studies sparked discussions on collaboration challenges and the potential of civic tech to advance inclusive democracy.

On 22 September, a dedicated Gender Empowerment workshop, facilitated by Trishia Nashtaran with a session by AI engineer Aindriya Barua, addressed how civic tech can support gender-responsive policymaking, safety, and rights of marginalized genders. Participants engaged in interactive discussions on feminist tech, hate speech detection, and digital inclusion challenges faced by women and marginalized groups.

Across both workshops, participants reported significant improvements in their understanding of civic tech and expressed eagerness to adopt such technologies within their organizations. Challenges identified included low digital literacy, gender discrimination, and political instability. Digitally Right observed strong interest and hopes to continue fostering civic tech awareness and collaboration among CSOs to address critical social issues in Bangladesh.