The onset of the Covid lockdowns begins to change all of that. Priya and the other girls at her school have to start using their parents' phones to do their school work. Many other girls at school use their parents' phones or even have their own phones, but Priya’s parents have always been against her using their phones unless it’s absolutely necessary. Priya can’t believe her luck. She surfs the internet and watches educational and funny videos on YouTube and Instagram. She chats to other girls from other cities across the whole country! It feels like her world is opening up and she can imagine an entirely different future from the one her parents have planned for her. 

Then Priya starts receiving messages, Instagram DMs, from the brother of a friend at school. At first the messages are innocuous, but when Priya ignores them they become increasingly insistent and explicit. Priya is horrified and embarrassed. She doesn’t dare tell anyone about it. Especially not her parents. She just stops using the phone entirely. She even stops talking to friends at school. The world feels like a hostile place with danger around every corner.

A year later, at school, Priya and her friends are introduced to Sneha, an ambassador from a programme called Ab No Rukna.

In a quiet room, with just a small group of friends, Sneha sharesvideos and audio clips on her phone — stories from girls who havebeen harassed, tricked and exploited online. The stories are worrying, but so many of them have happy endings as the girls learn how to protect themselves online. The ambassador, Sneha, shares her own experiences and then she goes on to teach the girls about the ways they can stay safe online. Priya is still nervous, but at least now she knows that she’s not alone and, more importantly, what happenedto her was not her fault. 

A week later, Priya and her mother are cooking at home listening to a radio show when the radio host starts interviewing a woman who’s a survivor of tech-facilitated GBV. Priya feels very tense as she watches for her mother’s reactions. Her mother listens intently as the tone of the radio programme changes. The woman talks about her online business, about the ways she has been able to support her family with the money that she makes, working from home. There are more clips from other woman and even their husbands and fathers talking about the difference that phones and the internet have made in their lives. There’s even a message from a local government official talking about how important it is for young people, especially girls to embrace digital technologies to help move India forward.

Later that month, Sneha is back at school. This time she introduces the girls to a platform they can use to learn more about digital skills, GBV and their rights — a place they can get information, share stories, get help and report GBV too. At the end of the day, Sneha and an older boy give a presentation to the whole school. The older boy talks about the responsibility that each person has to understand, identify and report tech-facilitated GBV. They play a clip with a message from Priya’s favourite Bollywood actor. She can see the boys are listening too. Sneha and the older boy lead the whole school in a series of games and role-playing activities. 

Feeling confident, Priya starts using her parents' phone again. Talking to her parents about the things she’s learning. Her world starts to open up again. And then she gets another lewd message. This time, however, Priya is not scared or embarrassed, but outraged. She knows exactly what to do. She takes screengrabs, blocks the user and reports the account. She logs onto the platform Sneha told her about and shares her story with other girls. Everyone rushes to support her and encourage her. Priya even talks to a counsellor online about her earlier experiences and she feels she can finally let go of the fear. She’s wary, but feels wise. She’s in control.