Session
Digital Rights Foundation
Hyra Basit, Digital Rights Foundation Seerat Khan, Digital Rights Foundation
Nighat Dad, Digital Rights Foundation
Hyra Basit
Seerat Khan
Seerat Khan
Targets: Most helpline and on the ground services against online harassment serve to provide solutions to women, girls, and other gender and sexual minorities. Online harassment prevents these groups from safely interacting and establishing a presence in online spaces, which in turn limits their participation in social and democratic spaces, their ability to gain education, conduct business, carry out professional activities. In some cases, online harassment can limit their freedoms in physical spaces and instigate violence. This networking session will allow advocacy groups to learn how groups in other countries are tackling these problems, what their limitations are, and how they can support each other. This gathering will also serve as the first step to rethink advocacy work, and which organizations (such as social media companies and legislators) should be targeted.
Fishbowl discussion, followed by open forum.
Digital rights advocacy groups over the world are developing mechanisms to tackle the problem of online harassment, especially incidents faced by gender and sexual minorities and vulnerable occupations such as journalists and human rights defenders, etc. These organizations provide real time, on the ground access for local communities to seek help when they face online harassment and require digital or legal solutions. This networking session will serve as an open discussion and introduction session for organizations running helplines and other services that provide help to their local communities. The aim is to introduce the services they provide, brainstorm new solutions and develop referral systems for cases that require cross-border solutions.
The fishbowl discussion aspect of the session will allow each representative/participant to speak about their experience, whether they are joining online or in person. The discussion will alternate between in person and online participants, to ensure no one gets left behind and the session doesn't become monotonous. During the open discussion at the end, the moderator will be checking the online participants. A 'ping' sound will indicate that an online participant wishes to chime in. A code of conduct will be shared at the start of the session establishing that online participants be given ample time and attention by the in person participants.