The Community Peace Committee in the city of Mukalla organized, this morning, a coordination workshop to reduce electronic extortion in Hadhramaut Governorate, in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

At the beginning of the workshop, in which representatives of the local authority, judicial and security authorities, education, health, endowments, and guidance participated, the chief program officer at the Democratic Institute, Muhammad Al-Kathiri, stressed the importance of the anti-electronic extortion campaign organized by the authority, giving an explanation of the authority’s role, tasks, and initiatives.

The workshop dealt with a general definition of electronic blackmail in Hadramaut, its impact on societal stability, the cases that have been reported, and a presentation of current statistics on electronic blackmail.

The workshop discussed an analysis of the current situation of electronic blackmail, the challenges facing victims of blackmail, and the roles of stakeholders in combating it, including the judiciary, security, and civil society organizations.

In the workshop, participants were distributed into groups, during which they discussed the obstacles facing, efforts to develop and improve mechanisms for reporting and protecting victims, and ways to use technology to enhance protection, in addition to preparing a joint action plan among stakeholders that clarifies the roles and tasks of each party.