Activism, just like other engagements in the struggle for a better society has been affected by the new coronavirus 2019 commonly referred to as COVID-19 pandemic that has struck globally since the end of 2019 and peaked in the months of March and April 2020. Individuals, governments, corporations, organizations, and institutions have all been affected in many ways and there might be no “normal” to return to in post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, there is a call to adjust from the usual ways of doing things that are safer to avoid contracting and spreading of COVID-19. Some of the ways to stay safe that have been fronted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments include social/physical distancing, stay at home order, washing of hands regularly, and avoiding to touch the face. These guidelines have meant that individuals need to work from home or to completely suspend activities that have high physical contact.
Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) have also had their activities affected. Movements around the world such as the global #MeToo movement, Kenya’s #DeCoalonization movement, and a host of other movements have had their planned trainings, meetings, conferences, workshops, exposures, visits and even protests cancelled or postponed indefinitely. In addition, these movements have had to focus on getting their primary necessities – for themselves and for their members to ensure survival. But what does this mean for HRDs? COVID-19 pandemic does not mean that everything has to grind to a halt.
During this pandemic, human rights violations across the globe have skyrocketed. In Kenya, brutality by forces of the state continue to be witnessed across the country with dozens of people injured, arrested, shot, their property damaged and looted by the police, and even tear gas and water cannons used on innocent people. Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) confirmed that 117 cases related to COVID-19 enforcement from 15 counties had been reported with 7 people killed during the first week of the curfew. In addition, increased domestic violence, sexual and gender-based violence is at an increase. In South Africa, during the first week of the national lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic between 27 – 31 March, the minister of Police, Bheki Cele reported that they received 2,300 complaints in relation to gender-based violence. Such cases are being witnessed around the globe in places such as Uganda, Cameroon, Spain and many other countries disguised as emergency responses to the pandemic. These cases are also fracturing the gains made by HRDs for many years in fighting and suppressing authoritarian regimes around the globe. It is for such reasons and many others that call for HRDs to re-strategize in dealing with a new wave of human rights violations across the world using safer tactics as per WHO recommendations.
In the last few years, we have witnessed waves of street protests in Sudan, Algeria, Hong Kong, India, Chile and elsewhere to demand social justice, economic reforms, and greater democracy. Some of these movements in the said countries registered success after relentless public protests, sit-ins and other forms of defiance. For example, in Sudan, authoritarian ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown. However, some of these protests have been suspended or cancelled due to the global health crisis occasioned by COVID – 19 pandemic. Cancelling protests and other tactics of activism can be dangerous as there may be a risk of HRDs losing some of their hard-earned gains. But considering the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of asymptomatic carriage and transmission, the global public health preventive advice of physical distancing and hygiene, and the many remaining unknowns, there is hardly any leeway for choice.
While public protests are a useful tactic for social change, other tactics that target to destabilize the economic, social and political foundations of oppression can be used as well. Pioneering scholar of anti – violence resistance, Gene Sharp came up with a list of 198 tactics of nonviolent actions. The list is not exhaustive, many other tactics continue to be used and are undocumented. Even with these tactics, many of them involve physical interaction between individuals and may not be ideal during a global pandemic such as COVID-19.
The use of online tools for activism have increasingly been used in contexts where civil society networks have been repressed by governments, or in contexts where they do not exist or in contexts where going to the streets to protest is considered a dangerous activity. In some fairly open contexts such as Kenya and South Africa, online tools are used to supplement other tactics of activism such as street protests. Digital activism and social movements scholars had not envisioned situations where global pandemics that brought with them limitations on physical distancing would affect street protests or other tactics of activism. It is at this time of COVID-19 pandemic that increased use of digital tools for activism is being used by HRDs, whether in authoritarian or in democratic states. The era of regarding digital tools as being ineffective or being seen as promoting slacktivism or clicktivism is being bypassed. But what are the first steps in ensuring digital tools are effectively used for driving social change?
For efficient digital campaign tools to be utilized, hyperlocal neighborhood networks must be created, fostered and made to thrive, especially in deprived communities. Manuel Castells, the father of network theory, refers to them as networks of outrage and hope – because they can be used to express anger and hope at the same time. This can be more useful during this pandemic. The Kenyan model of hyperlocal neighborhood networks is for example the Nyumba Kumi Initiative which was started in 2013 to anchor community policing at the household level and also to create safe neighborhoods. Such initiatives must be reimagined to ensure civic engagement and to ensure all vulnerable members are safe at such times. A stratum of these hyperlocal networks can be created, and a leader identified who can then be in direct touch with an HRD in a certain neighborhood. These networks should also include individuals living with disabilities. This would ensure sufficient physical distancing to keep everyone safe. The hyperlocal networks can be interconnected using simple technologies such as SMS or in areas where individuals can afford smartphones and data, through chat applications. In a country where most people in vulnerable communities do not have access to smartphones and cannot afford data, such communication resources can be shared. At a higher level of the hyperlocal networks, slightly sophisticated communication technologies would be required. Essentially, this is where human rights defenders are located. HRDs need to be trained in large numbers who can give updates on human violations and other issues that need urgent attention. But which digital tools are available and how can they assist HRDs in performing their duties of fostering social change?
To begin with, the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association apply online just as it does offline. Rights to peaceful assembly and association online require that individuals’ rights to privacy are fully respected and protected. During this time when physical distancing is restricted by various governments and WHO, access to and use of the internet need to be enhanced. While many HRDs are moving their activities online, they must be aware of these rights and other laws associated with digital communication such as data privacy and cyber security laws. In most countries where curfews and lockdowns have been implemented due to COVID-19 pandemic, such as Kenya and South Africa, their constitutions have not been suspended and all rights and privileges are still in place. In addition, HRDs should keep tabs of the executive orders being issued in this period both nationally and county levels, and also be aware of international laws that are relevant during such lockdowns. Such information, which is mostly available online, can also be distributed to the hyperlocal networks suggested earlier.
For many HRD networks and other social movements, social media tools can be used for community-based organizing around mutual aid. Building trust over online networks can be difficult but small-scale hyperlocal networks can help in overcoming these difficulties. To stay in touch with these networks, HRDs should use social media networks such as WhatsApp and its various functions, SMS, Email listservs, electronic bulletin boards like Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and many others. The choice of these digital tools would be dependent on a place to place, but more so on the affordability of such technologies, data and even skills in using them. Podcasts can also be used as discussion forums, and Google Drive can be used to create documents, spreadsheets, surveys, and presentations that can be shared, stored, and edited live between HRD collaborators. This can particularly be useful in documenting injustices at the grassroots, such as what the Social Justice Center Working Group is doing in Nairobi for post-COVID-19 purposes. Webinars using tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google hangouts, YouTube live can be used for forums, meetings, workshops and even training. If such digital tools are used effectively, they have the potential to serve movements and their hyperlocal networks for decades.
These digital tools, particularly social media tools, can be used for online mobilization and increasing the visibility of issues affecting individuals at the grassroots during this pandemic. The use of hashtags on Twitter has been used by HRDs to have their issues heard in contexts such as Kenya and to compel the government to respond to some of the conversations taking place online. In addition, HRDs can encourage citizen journalists or hyperlocal networks to document human rights violations in their localities and to share the content in online platforms which can be made to go viral. This is already happening in Kenya, but it needs to be encouraged even more. Recently, in Nairobi, a video went viral on social media after policemen attempted to arrest a young man who had no mask while they themselves did not have masks.
However, even with the availability of such digital tools for HRDs, various challenges can be encountered which can hinder their effective use. During this pandemic, state surveillance is likely to be at an increase. In the past, during public protests, we have had instances where governments shut down the internet. In other contexts, when repressive governments don’t directly shut off the internet or censor content, surveillance is much easier and less costly to maintain online. Repressive governments can easily gain a comprehensive picture of HRDs online activities. The state may use mobile and internet data with an excuse of doing contact tracing during COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, with increased levels of misinformation and fake news, state surveillance could be used with an excuse of curbing its spread. HRDs, therefore, need to find communication tools that are less prone to state surveillance. In addition, best practices such as ensuring information sent to hyperlocal networks are credible and verifiable to avoid state crackdown.
During this period, HRDs also need to be aware of the state capabilities to flood digital spaces with misinformation, fake news or government propaganda particularly aimed at diverting people’s attention to the real issues facing the country. Governments have more often than not deployed micro-celebrities, also known as influencers, to push certain conversations or agenda to the public. Although these influencers can also be used by HRDs for activism purposes, they should be aware that pro-government influencers can alter public conversations in online spaces. Flooding online spaces with misinformation is seen as easier way than creating and disseminating true information. HRDs and other activists should be able to create a broad-based network of alliances to strategically counter misinformation by the government.
In conclusion, COVID-19 pandemic has provided opportunities and challenges to Human Rights Defenders. Even with the increased limitation of physical contact, it is possible to use other strategies that can ensure justice for the people at the grassroots and to check human rights violations. However, these digital tools must be used with caution to avoid government’s using them for surveillance and crackdown on HRDs. This article has highlighted the importance of hyperlocal networks, how they can be created, fostered, and also used for receiving and disseminating information to and from the HRD networks and related coalitions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Job Mwaura is a Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Media Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa. He also teaches media studies at Wits, and has previously worked as a researcher in Kenya for many years.
This is very informative