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05Nov

CIPESA Commemorates International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI)

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Over the last few years, the media and journalists in Africa have continued to face significant challenges in the execution of their work. While there has been some progress in constitutional guarantees for press freedom, access to information, and freedom of expression on the continent, these have been overshadowed by regressive legislation and actions that hinder the role of the media. Instead, press freedom, not only in Africa but across the world is threatened by the very people who should be its guarantors – political authorities.

In 2022, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) coordinated the inaugural State of Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in Africa research, which was initiated by UNESCO and supported by media associations and media development organisations from all regions of Africa. Research for the second edition of the report is ongoing.  The report mapped prevailing gaps that undermine the safety of journalists and media freedom in Africa and served to inform strategies for the enhancement of legal and institutional frameworks for implementing the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) established in 2014 by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 68/163 serves to commemorate the memory of killed journalists, highlight the risks that journalists take to do their job, call for accountability for crimes committed against then, and reaffirm commitment to the protection and safety of journalists in the course of doing their work.

This year marks the tenth commemoration of the IDEI which will be hosted at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on November 7,2024. As part of the commemoration, CIPESA, is organising two sessions:

Presentation and Panel on State of Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists in Africa:

November 7, 2024

Caucus Room 27

9.00-11.00 am

The panel will explore preliminary findings of the second edition of the State of Media Freedom and Safety of Journalists report, highlight the current nature and threats to press freedom and journalists’ safety, engage stakeholders on interventions to ensure journalists and media are protected against attacks by state and non-state actors.

Speakers:

Wairagala Wakabi, PhD – CIPESA

Abel Wabela – HaqCheck/Inform Africa

Nancy Angulo – UNESCO

David Omwoyo – Media Council of Kenya.

Rachael Nakitare – International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT)

Digital Security Clinic:

November 6-7, 2024

Lobby D

All day

The helpdesk will allow participants to access new innovative Internet freedom technology, privacy and data protective tools, measures and platforms in order to respond to their emergent digital security concerns, whilst offering immediate support and demos of various digital security tools and advisory on improving individual security and resilience against threats and dangers when working, engaging, socialising and organising online.

The clinic is a longstanding feature at regional and international events including CIPESA’s annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica). The model has been replicated at the Global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2022 which was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, RightsCon 2023 which was held in Costa Rica and various national convenings across the continent.

Facilitators:

Brian Byaruganga, CIPESA

These efforts add to CIPESA’s various interventions across Africa aimed at equipping journalists with the necessary skills and tools to navigate the environments they work in safely. These have included interventions on better understanding digital rights, improved fact-checking, addressing disinformation and the threats to media freedom and safety, election reporting and the gendered dynamics of media safety. In addition, CIPESA has been actively providing practical digital security training to equip journalists with the skills they need to protect themselves online as necessary steps in safeguarding against digital threats and ensuring they can continue their work safely.

05Nov

ACHPR 81st Ordinary Session: CIPESA and Partners Host Dialogue on Advocacy Against Internet Shutdowns

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By Patricia Ainembabzi |

At the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) held in Banjul on October 17-November 6, 2024, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) hosted a side event centered on technology and electoral democracy in Africa. While drawing impetus from various experts, discussions delved into the impact of internet shutdowns on freedom of expression, access to information, business transactions, and exclusion of vulnerable communities across the African continent. This is despite the growing role of technology as an enabler of democratic participation and increased transparency and accountability.

In March 2024, the ACHPR adopted Resolution 580, urging African states to refrain from imposing internet shutdowns, particularly during electoral periods. Eight months on, the resolution is yet to gain traction. Over 100 shutdowns have been documented in Africa since 2019, reflecting a worrying escalation in digital rights abuses. The cumulative effect of these shutdowns includes suppression of political discourse, economic losses, and an erosion of public trust in government institutions, ultimately infringing on fundamental rights to free and fair participation in the digital age.

“37% of Africa’s population has experienced internet disruptions in recent years”, Florence Nakazibwe, ICNL.

Thobekile Matimbe of Paradigm Initiative, stated that national security as the rationale for internet shutdowns was disproportionate and Courts including at the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) had rejected the security argument in favour of protecting digital rights. Acknowledging disinformation as a growing threat on the continent and one of the common themes in the national security justifications, Matimbe recommended targeted policies that balance free expression and countering disinformation alongside digital literacy programmes towards strengthening public trust and promoting access to information during electoral periods.

According to Grace Wangenchi from the  Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) internet shutdowns also have social impacts. Citing the example of heightened risks and isolations for victims of violence who rely on online resources for support, Wangechi called on interventions pushing back against shutdowns to be centred around the unique needs of vulnerable and marginalised communities.

Martin Mavenjina from the Kenya Human Rights Commission, added that documenting the social impact of internet shutdowns through case studies could support strategic litigation against shutdowns. He noted precedent set by the ECOWAS Court in cases from Togo, Guinea and Nigeria, Mavenjina called for advocacy efforts to ensure rulings “led to meaningful change”. 

Other avenues for pushing back against shutdowns put forward included the development of toolkits for civil society, that are anchored in ACHPR resolutions and continued research and documentation to inform engagements with policymakers, regulators, and internet service providers. Where opportunities were available, advocates were also called upon to inform consultations and calls for input by national task forces on elections.

Discussions also featured unpacking the newly developed toolkit to support the monitoring, documentation, and reporting on digital rights violations such as internet shutdowns by National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs). The side-event builds on CIPESA and partners’ efforts to prioritise and spotlight digital rights issues as part of ACHPRs proceedings.

29Oct

Confronting the Toll of Online Work on Women in Africa

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By Ashnah Kalemera |

From domestic work, ride hailing, content moderation, and delivery services, to sex work, technology has revolutionised employment and labour across the world. In Africa, according to a 2023 report by the World Bank, between 2016 and 2020, job postings on one of the largest digital labour platforms more than doubled. This demand on the continent is expected to grow over the coming years.

These new forms of labour and employment have generally advanced inclusion in the workforce and promoted economic empowerment. However, despite the existence of initiatives such as SheWorks! that are dedicated to engaging women in online work, the promise of new skills, flexibility and income, the potential of women’s participation in digital work has not been fully realised. For instance, in South Africa, the share of women in online work (52%) is growing but still less than in similar occupations in the workforce at large (61%). 

Documented barriers to African women’s participation in online work include the gender digital divide and uneven access to the internet and digital tools. Meanwhile, the wider challenges of digitalisation of work and labour, including the lack of social protections, job insecurity, unequal pay, unfair treatment, discrimination, bias, increased surveillance and lack of autonomy, are exacerbated for women.

In an effort to build narratives and movements on gender and labour online, the recently concluded Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2024 (FIFAfrica24) featured discussions on feminist futures of work that highlighted lived experiences and advocacy strategies.

Speaking at the Forum, Abigail Osiki, a Lecturer in the Department of Mercantile and Labour Law at the University of Western Cape, South Africa, stated that fair and decent work for women online not only encompasses security, fair wages and productivity, but also mental health. The mental health challenges of online employment opportunities for women were said to be compounded by stigmas about certain forms of labour – such as sex work being considered prostitution and virtual assistants being “just secretaries”.

“The worst part about working for OnlyFans for me is the toll it takes on my mental health. For a long time I kind of swallowed my emotions and didn’t care what anyone thought because I was making so much money, but then it got to a point where I felt like I was selling my soul. I would often break down to my younger brother that I feel like I sold my soul.” – an Interview with an OnlyFans Worker.

The “uneven power” within online employment was also pointed out. Highlighting the example of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), speakers at FIFAfrica24 argued that such agreements perpetuated “master-servant relationships” and “forced labour”, leaving many women with no option but to work “from a point of desperation as opposed to choice”.

A former content moderator for a social media platform narrated her recruitment as a language translator, signing of an NDA, and only finding out the scope of her work upon exposure to graphic content. She recalled the mental health side effects of the job and the inability to disclose the nature of her work to healthcare professionals for “fear of going to jail for 20 years” as stipulated in the NDA. She added that she worked in a foreign country without a work permit for a year, isolated in a hotel for six months and without leave days. Whereas she and colleagues were able to unionise, they had no legal support. The unionisation initially led to salary increments but their employment contracts were later terminated without benefits.

For African women in the informal sector, the situation was said to be even more dire. As part of her address in the opening ceremony, Catherine M’seteka of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) argued that limited access to information and digital illiteracy had made it harder for domestic workers to mobilise or report common violations such as forced labour, exploitation and sexual harassment.

According to Siasa Place’s Angela Chukunzira, digitalisation also had an impact on non-tech based labour. She cited the example of online reviews in the hospitality sector and their impact on the rights of housekeeping workers – who are usually women.

“Marginalised workers are invisible in policy making,” said M’Seteka as she called for more platforms  – both formal and informal – for multi-stakeholder engagement and advocacy on the digital economy.

M’Seteka’s and others’ calls echo recommendations in a policy brief on Labour and Digital Rights in Africa, which emphasised the need to strengthen legal recognition of workers online to ensure their safety and welfare alongside efforts to foster innovation and economic growth that overcome inequalities, bias and discrimination.

In visioning a future of work from a feminist perspective, Osiki stated that advocacy and policy interventions must consider women in the digital workforce as heterogeneous – of different cultures, contexts and involved in different types of work. That way, regulation of uneven power relations and efforts in collective bargaining would articulate varied interests to avoid exploitation. Priorities put forward for collective bargaining were equal pay, contract transparency, protection against harassment and exploitation, alongside career mobility and progression as well as health and safety. “All these [interests] vary for freelancers, domestic workers, location-based service providers and content moderators,” said Osiki.

African states were urged not to politicise technology-based jobs as a solution to the continent’s unemployment and poverty crisis. Rather, they should negotiate partnerships and equitable regulation with a view of increasing tax revenue to enable provision of social and welfare protections for citizens.

For the wider community – users, activists, media, the legal fraternity and civil society organisations – there were calls for solidarity such as in strategic litigation and establishing communities of care to support women in digital workspaces. This, together with efforts to promote cultural and language sensitivity for some forms of employment would go a long way in overcoming derogatory and biased narratives in society.

21Oct

Civil Society Trained on Digital Rights Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities

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By CIPESA Staff |

Despite the recent exponential growth and penetration of inclusive digital technologies in Africa, persons with disabilities have remained disproportionately hindered from enjoying the benefits that come with these technological advancements as they are often excluded from the design, implementation processes, and discussions about the said technologies. As a result, the technology has remained largely inaccessible due to the prohibitive associated costs and unusable because of low levels of digital literacy among persons with disabilities. Additionally, many technologies were not designed with input from persons with disabilities regarding their user needs.

While governments, both at the national and international levels, have made great strides in legislating against the discrimination of persons with disabilities, the vast majority of the laws remain unimplemented. For example, it has taken at least six years for the African Union’s Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights relating to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa to come into force after its 15th ratification by the Republic of Congo in May 2024. The other 14 member states that have ratified the Disability Protocol are Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and Uganda.

At the national level, in most countries, there have been only superficial efforts to guarantee that the rights of persons with disabilities to access technology are respected both in the laws and in practice. Efforts to galvanise the demand for digital rights for persons with disabilities have remained few and far between, despite some noticeable increases in the number and capacity of disability rights actors to advocate for the digital rights of persons with disabilities. The growth in capacity has also been hampered by limited direct funding for Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), thereby undermining their ability to develop and engage in strategic advocacy, including setting the disability rights agenda.

In addition, crucial interventions at the forefront of digital inclusion remain mostly disjointed, with different players operating in silos to promote the inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable and marginalised groups. This undermines the cohesion and the impact these efforts would have if they were harmonised.

It was against this background that the Collaboration on International Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), in partnership with the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), and the African Center for Media Excellence (ACME) convened a one-day capacity-building workshop in Dakar, Senegal, for disability rights organisations and other digital rights advocates. The workshop equipped participants with the skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to advance digital rights for persons with disabilities.

The training was part of CIPESA’s ongoing work on digital inclusion particularly for persons with disabilities and was organised as a pre-event at the 11th edition of CIPESA’s annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) that took place on September 24-27, 2024. The 21 workshop participants were drawn from Ethiopia, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe and included lawyers, academics, journalists, OPDs, media, regulators, civil society organisations, and development partners – all with varying levels of experience working on disability rights.

Paul Kimumwe from CIPESA noted in his remarks that the biggest challenge to advancing digital rights for persons with disabilities has been the inability of advocates to understand and appreciate the intersectionality between disability, technology, and human rights. He added that there is a great focus on the business side especially the “bottom line” by technology developers rather than the needs of the user and how the technology which has become widely available, affects the ability of persons with disabilities to enjoy their fundamental human rights, including the right to education, health, and movement.

Lynnet Onyango from the TRF noted in her presentation that while many African countries have passed progressive laws and policies providing for the rights of access to digital technologies, many of these provisions remain unimplemented, affecting the ability of persons with disabilities to enjoy their fundamental human rights. According to Onyango, the failure to compel broadcasters to provide closed captions and sign language interpretation on their programming denies persons with disabilities access to news and information.

For many participants, the training offered an opportunity to learn and network with disability rights actors from across the continent and build synergies.

“It was interesting to learn that beyond the geographical differences in Africa, disability issues tend to be similar. However, with the influence of culture and technological advances, each country has to address disability challenges in a contextualised manner by localising and customising initiatives to reflect the lived experiences of persons with disabilities.” – Nicodemus Nyakundi, Digital Accessibility Program Officer, Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet).

For Dr. Abdul Busuulwa, a disability rights activist and Lecturer in the Department of Community and Disability Studies at Kyambogo University, Uganda, affordability and digital illiteracy remain a big challenge. Dr. Busuulwa noted that many accessible gadgets and assistive technologies are very expensive and the majority of persons with disabilities cannot afford them. In addition, while several open-source software applications provide some assistive technological support, this is not known to many people with disabilities.

In his presentation on engaging with media, Apolo Kakaire from ACME emphasised that, given the central role that the media (both mainstream and online) play in shaping public perceptions and information dissemination, it is crucial that disability rights organisations and activists develop strong and long-term working relationships with newsrooms and individual journalists, including building their capacity on disability rights coverage.

In her opening remarks, Morgan Frost, the Senior Manager of Global Programs at CIPE, highlighted the importance of multi-stakeholder efforts that empower persons with disabilities in the digital age. Frost also underscored that events such as the training workshop serve as a foundation for civil society, the local private sector, and media organisations working on digital inclusion efforts to share lessons learned and develop advocacy strategies that advance more accessible digital spaces.

18Oct

CIPESA At The 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR)

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At the 81st Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), currently taking place in Banjul, The Gambia, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will participate in a series of sessions aimed at enhancing the digital rights ecosystem in Africa. CIPESA’s participation will entail contributions on countering internet shutdowns and devising measures aimed at safeguarding civic spaces in African countries.

Insights from recent reports, such as the 2024 State of Internet Freedom in Africa report and a baseline study of the State of Access to Digital Tools, Usage of ICT and Digital Threats to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Uganda, will be shared at the convening.

Among the sessions CIPESA will participate in is one taking place on October 19, 2024, hosted by DefendDefenders, AfricanDefenders and the National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders Uganda (NCHRD-U) on “Safeguarding Uganda’s Civic Space”. The session will discuss strategies to counter the shrinking civic space in addition to providing a platform for various stakeholders to share their experiences, develop strategies to safeguard civic space, human rights, environmental justice, and the rights of marginalised groups.

As internet shutdowns and social media blocks increasingly become tools for suppressing dissent and undermining democracy, particularly during elections and protests, the urgency of addressing these measures grows. Numerous African governments invoke broad national security reasons to justify these actions, a trend documented across various countries. With 21 African nations and over 70 countries worldwide holding elections in 2024, the need for legal remedies to such disruptions is more critical than ever.

On October 22, 2024, CIPESA, in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) and the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), will host a side event session on “Internet Shutdowns and Elections in Africa.” Experts will explore how courts in different jurisdictions have tackled shutdowns, share litigation strategies, and discuss actions to safeguard digital rights at the national, regional, and continental levels.

Session details:

* Date: October 22, 2024

* Venue: Thematic Room 2

* Online meeting link

* Time: 13.00-14.30 GMT

* Speakers

Honourable Commissioner, Ourveena Geereesha Topsy-Sonoo, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa (TBC).

Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager Partnerships and Engagements, Paradigm Initiative

Roselyn Hanzi, Executive Director, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)

Martin Mavenjina, Senior Program Advisor, Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)

Florence Nakazibwe, Senior Legal Advisor-Africa, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)

Grace Wangechi, Executive Director, Independent Medical Legal Unit.

Session Moderator: Patricia Ainembabazi, Project Officer, CIPESA

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