SheSecures Competition Building Country’s Resilience, Empowering Women in Cybersecurity

The SheSecures Jamaica cybersecurity competition has been lauded for its role in helping to bolster the country’s cyber resilience and empowering women in the growing cybersecurity sector.  

The Ministry of National Security, in partnership with the Organization of American States (OAS) is hosting the second staging of the virtual competition, which runs from September 12 to 14.  

It is designed to provide Jamaican women and girls aged 16 and older with hands-on cybersecurity training while testing and sharpening their technical skills. 

Addressing the virtual launch on Friday (Sept. 9), Chief Technical Director in the Ministry, Shauna Trowers, said “it is through competitions like this that Jamaica continues to strengthen its reputation as a leader in advancing cyber resilience, innovation, and inclusive participation in technology.”  

She noted that the initiative “exemplifies the vital role women play in security and leadership inspiring us all to foster a more inclusive and resilient Jamaica.” 

Ms. Trowers expressed confidence that the ideas, solutions, and passion demonstrated throughout the  competition  will contribute significantly to the country’s national security efforts and urged the participants to use the opportunity to further develop their skills.  

“Do not just leave this competition as competitors but use this opportunity to build relationships that will take you beyond the screens of our computers, laptops, or phones. Let us continue to support and uplift women in cybersecurity, recognising their invaluable contribution,” she said. 

Cybersecurity Section Chief, OAS, Kerry Ann Barrett, in her remarks, highlighted the need to equip women with the skills to participate in the cybersecurity sector. 

She cited a recent report published by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC2), which indicated that women represent only 25 per cent of the global workforce. 

“This statistic is alarming especially considering that there are three million cybersecurity professionals worldwide that are needed,” she noted.  

She said it is in response to this disparity that over the past two years, the OAS has collaborated in the staging of the SheSecures competition, which is hosted on the cybersecurity training and certification platform, Hackrocks.  

Ms. Barrett noted that SheSecures is not only designed to bridge the gender gap but also to ensure that diversity is fostered in the industry in a fun and dynamic way. 

“This initiative provides women with engaging and practical opportunities to engage their technical skills through virtual cybersecurity exercises,” she pointed out. 

Miss Barrett applauded the Government for the efforts being undertaken in cybersecurity. 

“Through updating its national cybersecurity strategy, the cybercrime legislation, strengthening its incident response capabilities and law enforcement and digital investigative techniques, it’s been evident that the Government sees cybersecurity as a very solid way forward in advancing development,” she said.  

Cybersecurity Programme Officer, OAS, Mariana Cardona, in providing details about the competition, informed that the registered participants have 48 hours to complete the challenges on the Hackrocks platform. 

Participants may compete individually or in teams of two, tackling eight cybersecurity challenges of varying levels of difficulty. Points are awarded based on both speed and complexity, with the leaderboard updating in real time. 

Some 290 participants registered for the cybersecurity competition.