Women make up only 29% of local IT workforce
View(s):At a time when thuggery is rampant in Sri Lanka, when even elected officials such as Mayors and Provincial Councillors take the law into their own hands without a second thought, it is perhaps fitting that two Personal Safety applications (apps) took first and second place at Sri Lanka’s first ever Women’s Hackathon, which concluded recently.
Seen here is the winning team with officials from Microsoft, SLASSCOM and the US Embassy
Organised by private-sector IT body SLASSCOM, this event saw Tuk Tuk Safe, from the Sri Lanka Institute of IT team, earn first place and the Defender, from the University of Kelaniya, take second, while traffic analyser EASYtraf, from the University of Peradeniya, rounding off the top three.
Winners at this event received a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 for first place, Rs. 25,000 for second and Rs. 20,000 for third, as well as awards, certificates and gifts from sponsors such as Microsoft and the US Embassy.
Tuk Tuk Safe is a personal locator app that tracks an individual, giving their location to trusted contacts like parents in case of kidnapping or other emergencies. Defender offers a quick way to call for help, from friends and family, while EASYtraf is an app that filters tweets to track traffic. Out of the eight all-female teams participating, also including Sabaragamuwa, Rajarata, Jaffna, Colombo and Wayamba, there were apps to track and offer solutions for fairer skin, find the closest restaurants for takeaway or the best stores for fashion and branded merchandise, and increase HIV awareness, as well as even a travel guide for Jaffna.
Speaking at this event, Microsoft Sri Lanka head Imran Vilcassim signalled that the local IT workforce was made up of only 29 per cent women, with programmes such as this hackathon needed to address this shortcoming. (JH)