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03May

Mitigating Online Abuse Against Women Journalists in Ghana and Nigeria

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Ashnah Kalemera |

As the world commemorates the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, African media’s ability to operate effectively remains under threat as their safety continues to be compromised. According to a UNESCO Global Survey, online attacks against women journalists, whose representation in the sector at executive and editorial levels is already limited, are increasing exponentially. In an effort to build digital resilience in Africa’s media sector, the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) has supported work on online safety of journalists in various countries, such as Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda. 

In Ghana and Nigeria, ADRF’s support has seen iWatch Africa engage 20 newsrooms on online safety of women journalists. Leveraging the Keeping Journalists Safe Online: A Guide for Newsrooms in West Africa and Beyond, the newsrooms were supported to set up safety protocols and response measures to safeguard women journalists against abuse. 

Through a multiplier model, journalists from the supported newsrooms (10 from Ghana and 10 from Nigeria) also underwent a Training of Trainers programme on the use of filtering applications such as TRFilter which helps document and manage online harassment and abuse. Furthemore, the participants discussed strategies through which journalists, government agencies and civil society could push back more effectively against online violence. The training facilitators included practitioners from Thomson Reuters Foundation; iWatch Africa; Techpreneur Magazine; The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); and Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII).

The trained journalists have since gone on to train an additional 100 journalists within their networks. A further offshoot from the project was the formation of a discussion forum for networking, sharing experiences and lessons learned amongst the supported newsrooms. 

The ADRF, an initiative of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has previously supported iWatch Africa to track, document and analyse online abuse and harassment against journalists and rights activists covering political and societal issues in Ghana. In partnership with the Ghana Police and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), iWatch Africa developed draft guidelines for the prevention of online abuse and harassment. The organisation has continued to undertake advocacy in the field while engaging stakeholders on offering legal support for victims to seek redress.

According to Gideon Sarpong, the Executive Director of iWatch Africa, ADRF’s support has helped raise awareness about the importance of protecting journalists and contributed to a safer media environment. “The cohort of journalists trained and their newsrooms could be the catalysts to curbing digital violence against women journalists in Ghana and Nigeria,” said Sarpong.

According to the State of Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in Africa Report for 2022, trolling and online harassment of journalists has become a serious threat to press freedom. It notes that trolls threaten and silence critical journalists and harass many, particularly women, forcing some to abandon social media. According to the report, the low levels of digital security skills; poor reporting of online abuses to law enforcement agencies; the limited skills and interest of authorities in investigating and prosecuting cyber crimes; and the inadequacy of existing laws in tackling trolling and online violence especially against women, only exacerbate the problem.

The ADRF was established in recognition that technology had become pivotal to promoting livelihoods and human rights on the continent but there was a need to strengthen local capacity in evidence-based research, skills and knowledge, collaborative advocacy and impactful policy engagements responsive to regulatory and practice developments that affect internet freedom in Africa.

The ADRF’s supporters have included the Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the Ford Foundation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the German Society for International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), New Venture Fund (NVF) and the Omidyar Network.

27Apr

CIPESA, AFIC and Partners Searching for Proposal Writing Consultants

Author CIPESA Posted on

Announcement |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is a leading centre for research and analysis that works to defend and expand the digital civic space to enable the protection and promotion of human rights and to enhance innovation and sustainable development. With a focus on disparate actors including government, the private sector, civil society, media, policy makers and multinational institutions, our work aims to engender a free, open and secure internet that advances rights, livelihoods, and democratic governance. 

Working with the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC) who are co-applicants, we are putting together a proposal to a major international funder for consideration of potential partnership on a multi-year project on Freedom of Expression and the Internet in Africa. The proposed partnership would bring together a consortium of seven partners with expertise and vast experience in different facets of digital freedom in various countries on the continent. 

Context 

The proposed partnership will work to ensure the protection of the rights to freedom of expression and the Internet in Africa. The specific challenges it responds to include:

I. Data and privacy infringements, including state surveillance against Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), journalists and political dissenters.

II. Disinformation and hate speech. 

III. Online violence against women and girls, trolling and online harassment of women journalists and women HRDs.

IV. Internet disruptions and censorship. 

V. Deficiency of digital security skills and limited understanding of internet freedom by key democracy actors, including HRDs, other activists and journalists.

The consortium is now actively searching for experienced proposal writing consultants with a passion for non-profit work to support the consortium in a collaborative process of developing a compelling final proposal to the international funder. The consultants are expected to put in a few days of work in May or June and some time in July 2023. Each consultant will be engaged for up to 10 days.

We are looking for a lead proposal writer and up to four thematic experts to support the proposal writing process. 

Lead Proposal Writer: The successful candidate must possess demonstrated expertise and experience in writing funding proposals for major international donors. He/she will be in charge of facilitating the proposal writing process, including coordination and consolidation of the submissions from thematic experts, CIPESA, AFIC and partners. He or she will also conduct training at a meeting of prospective project partners, and capture inputs from that consultative meeting.

Gender Expert: The successful candidate must have demonstrated expertise in feminist internet principles, and a keen understanding of how to address online gender-based violence/ violence against women in Africa. He/she will also ensure that the proposal is gender mainstreamed. The gender expert will also attend a planning (and learning) meeting with CIPESA, AFIC and partners (in the second week of May) in Eastern or Southern Africa and deliver a training session at this meeting to develop partner members’ understanding of gender dynamics in internet access, free expression, and online/digital participation.

Monitoring and Evaluation Expert: The successful candidate must possess demonstrated expertise and experience in monitoring and evaluation. He/she will develop the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan for the proposal, as well as outcome-impact mapping tools for the project.

Communication Expert: The successful candidate must possess demonstrated expertise and experience in strategic communication. He/she will develop the plan to guide both internal and external communications for the proposed project.

Legal expert: The successful candidate must have legal qualifications and experience working with national and international NGOs. He or she will develop the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the proposed consortium and review the project proposal to ensure that it is in consonance with the MoU and legal obligations in applicable jurisdictions.

All consultants must have:

  • Excellent writing and communication skills, with the ability to develop clear, concise, and compelling proposals.
  • Strong editing skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work under tight deadlines.
  • A deep understanding of the context and challenges of freedom of expression and the Internet in Africa.

Consultants who have demonstrable expertise in more than one of these areas are free to apply for more than one area. If you are interested in working with a passionate team to make real impact in protecting and advancing the enjoyment of the right to freedom of expression, Internet and digital rights in Africa, kindly send your CV and a cover letter explaining your qualifications and experience, and daily rate, to [email protected] and copy [email protected] by 17.00 East African Time Wednesday May 3, 2023.

27Apr

New Partnership to Enhance Parliamentarians’ Role in Advancing Digital Freedoms

Author CIPESA Posted on

Announcement |

A new partnership to enhance the role of Members of Parliament in advancing progressive internet policy and protecting digital rights has been signed by the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (APNIG), the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), and Small Media.

The partners recognised the critical role played by parliamentarians and the importance of collaborative approaches in advancing the agenda of digital development and internet governance across Africa.

The partners identified eight areas of cooperation, including conducting in-country engagements with Members of Parliament, resource mobilisation and provision of technical capacity to the legislators’ network. CIPESA will take the lead in providing technical support to conduct research and execution of joint policy advocacy campaigns on pertinent areas of internet governance and digital rights.

The partners agreed to collaborate on the planned APNIG Summit on Digital Democracy, which aligns with the work of CIPESA and Small Media, including on advancing digital rights through the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism of the United Nations Human Rights Council. 

At national level, APNIG will be a key vessel for running in-country discussions for legislators around the areas of digital rights and the UPR. Further, Small Media will create linkages between APNIG and key regional and global actors to enhance the network’s learning and participation in processes that shape internet governance and digital rights policy.

It was also agreed that, for the upcoming UPR reviews of Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Mali and Mauritius, APNIG members would participate in both in-country and global review processes. 

The partners resolved that APNIG members will participate at the CIPESA-organised Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica), scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania at the end of  September 2023. Furthemore, APNIG members will participate in a FIFAfrica side event on internet shutdowns, to be hosted by Small Media.

“The partnership with APNIG has come at a time when it is of great importance to engage Members of Parliament on digital rights considering that their legislative and oversight roles are key in advancing the protection and promotion of digital rights,” said Dr. Wakabi Wairagala, CIPESA’s Executive Director.

The partnership was signed after the completion of a two-day regional workshop on “The Future of Digital Rights in Africa: The Role of Policy Makers and Advocacy at the Universal Periodic Review” that took place on April 13-14, 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya. The workshop brought together participants from 15 countries (Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania,Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia), who included Members of Parliament, public interest lawyers, digital rights activists, innovators and media practitioners.

About APNIG: Launched on July 19, 2022, the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (APNIG) is dedicated to strengthening parliamentarians’ role in digital development in Africa. Follow APNIG on Twitter at @apnigafrica 

About CIPESA: CIPESA works to defend and expand the digital civic space to enable the protection and promotion of human rights and to enhance innovation and sustainable development. Our work responds to shortage of evidence-based research, resources and actors consistently working at the nexus of technology, human rights, and society. See more at www.cipesa.org.
About Small Media: Small Media works to support the free flow of information in politically closed societies. To this end, Small Media engages in research, advocacy, and training activities to support global advocates to uphold citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information. See more at https://smallmedia.org.uk/.

27Apr

Gear Up! The 2023 Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) is Heading to Tanzania!

Author CIPESA Posted on

Announcement |

The annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will be held in Dar es Salam, Tanzania on September 27-29, 2023. This year will mark a decade of the largest gathering on internet freedom in Africa, which has since 2014 put internet freedom on the agenda of key actors including African policy makers, platform operators, telcos, regulators, human rights defenders, academia, law enforcement representatives, and the media. This has paved the way for broader work on advancing digital rights in Africa and promoting the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.

In several African countries, it is becoming increasingly challenging to utilise the internet to defend human rights, strengthen independent media, support democratisation, and demand accountable and transparent governance, or to freely access information and contribute content in the diversity of African languages. This is undermining the core principle of the internet as a free and open platform. 

The decision to host the 2023 edition of FIFAfrica in Tanzania is in recognition of the country’s progressive shift to advance digitalisation for sustainable development. Under the leadership of its first female President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, a proponent for civil rights and women’s rights, the country has undergone political and legal reforms aimed at enhancing civic space and digitalisation agenda. Notably, a data protection law has been enacted, the law governing media operations is being revised, and the  Online Content Regulations 2020 were revised to make them more supportive of online speech, privacy and access to information. 

It is upon this backdrop that FIFAfrica 2023 will offer a platform for critical engagement of diverse stakeholders in identifying the most pressing internet rights-related issues and challenges that have to be addressed at national and regional levels. Over the years, FIFAfrica has identified opportunities for bringing the debate on the importance of digital rights to national, regional and global fora. In particular, the Forum supports the development of substantive inputs to inform a wide range of conversations at organisational, national, regional, continental and global levels, including at the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the United Nations Human Rights Council, the African Internet Governance Forum (IGF), sub-regional IGFs and at the global IGF.

The growth in diversity of participants and discussions at FIFAfrica reflects the evolving trends and concerns in access and usage of the internet and related technologies.  Topics have included access to information, mass surveillance, turning policy into action, internet shutdowns, content regulation, cyber security, digital economy, online violence against women, data protection and privacy, cyber governance, open source investigative journalism, online movement building and civic building, business and big data, building research capacity in internet measurements, innovation and security in conflict territories, as well as gender-sensitive approaches to ICT Policy and decision making. 

Overall, FIFAfrica is helping to grow the community advancing digital rights in Africa, increasing awareness about and advocacy for internet freedom, while forging new alliances that advance digital rights. It elevates new voices including those of often marginalised groups such as the youth, persons with disabilities and women, and enables state and non-state actors to develop evidence-based interventions that guide policy and practice

FIFAfrica has previously been hosted in Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia and Zambia, with the last edition attended by up to 1,000 individuals (online and offline) from 47 countries.
A call for proposals and travel support applications will be announced soon. For updates, follow CIPESA social media (@cipesaug) accounts  on Twitter,Facebook and LinkedIn.

18Apr

Apply To The Latest Round of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF)

Author CIPESA Posted on

Announcement |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is calling for proposals to support digital rights work across Africa. The current call is particularly interested in proposals for work related to:

  • Data governance including aspects of data localisation, cross-border data flows, biometric databases and digital ID
  • Digital resilience for human rights defenders, other activists and journalists
  • Censorship and network disruptions
  • Digital economy
  • Digital inclusion including aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities
  • Disinformation
  • Online violence against women
  • Platform accountability

Grant amounts available range between USD 1,000 and USD 10,000, depending on the need and scope of the proposed intervention. Cost-sharing is strongly encouraged and the grant period should not exceed six months. Applications will be accepted until May 5, 2023.

This call for proposals is the seventh under CIPESA’s Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) initiative which provides rapid response and flexible grants to organisations and networks to implement activities that promote digital rights, including advocacy, litigation, research, policy analysis, skills development and movement building. Since its launch in April 2019, the ADRF has to-date supported 52 initiatives with a total sum of USD 649,000 across 39 African countries and contributed to building capacity and traction for digital rights advocacy on the continent. 

Highlights of ADRF-supported initiatives

Application Guidelines

Geographical Coverage

The ADRF is open to organisations/networks based or operational in Africa and with interventions covering any country on the continent.

Size of Grants

Grant size shall range from USD 1,000 to USD 10,000. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged.

Eligible Activities

The activities that are eligible for funding are those that protect and advance digital rights. These may include but are not limited to research, advocacy, engagement in policy processes, litigation, digital literacy and digital security skills building.

Duration

The grant funding shall be for a period not exceeding six months.

Eligibility Requirements

  • The Fund is open to organisations and coalitions working to advance digital rights in Africa. This includes but is not limited to human rights defenders, media, activists, think tanks, legal aid groups, and tech hubs. Entities working on women’s rights, or with youth, sexual minorities, refugees, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
  • The initiatives to be funded will preferably have formal registration in an African country, but in some circumstances organisations and coalitions that do not have formal registration may be considered. Such organisations need to show evidence that they are operational in a particular African country or countries.
  • The activities to be funded must be in/on an African country or countries.

Ineligible Activities

  • The Fund shall not fund any activity that does not directly advance digital rights.
  • The Fund will not support travel to attend conferences or workshops, except in exceptional circumstances where such travel is directly linked to an activity that is eligible.
  • Costs that have already been incurred are ineligible.
  • The Fund shall not provide scholarships.
  • The Fund shall not support equipment or asset acquisition.

Administration

The Fund is administered by CIPESA. An internal and external panel of experts will make decisions on beneficiaries based on the following criteria:

  • If the proposed intervention fits within the Fund’s digital rights priorities.
  • The relevance to the given context/country.
  • Commitment and experience of the applicant in advancing digital rights.
  • Potential impact of the intervention on digital rights policies or practices.

The deadline for submissions is Friday May 5, 2023. The application form can be accessed here.

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