Civil society actors, human rights defenders and journalists at a workshop in Dhaka on Thursday urged for stronger mechanisms to hold the government accountable in protecting and promoting civic and digital space in the country.
The call was made at a workshop titled Safeguarding Voice: Strategy to Strengthen Civic and Digital Space, organised by Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment, said a press release.
The event brought together representatives from civil society, media, women and youth activists, legal and rights organisations to review and provide input on a newly developed national strategy paper focused on strengthening civic space, with particular attention to tackling gender disinformation.
The strategy was developed under the project 鈥楥ollaborative Actions for Promoting Digital and Civic Space and Combating Gender Disinformation鈥�, funded by the European Union, Free Press Unlimited, and Article 19, and jointly implemented by VOICE and the Daily Ittefaq.
鈥極ur society remains largely insensitive to gendered disinformation within civic spaces. Existing laws must be reformed through a citizen-centric lens to address this gap,鈥� said activist and researcher Rezaur Rahman Lenin.
Participants included representatives from Article 19, Media Research and Development Initiative, Nijera Kori, International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Engage Media, SPARC, SANGAT, and journalists from various media outlets.
Presenting key elements of the strategy, Musharrat Mahera, deputy director at VOICE, stated, 鈥楢s civic and digital spaces shrink, civil society must push for laws that uphold people鈥檚 rights and digital dignity, not silence dissent.鈥�
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE said that laws and policies regarding civic and digital spaces must not be repressive, rather, laws and policies should encourage people to exercise their rights for inclusive democracy.
Participants highlighted the need for stronger partnerships between CSOs and the media to foster an enabling environment for democratic expression.
Among others, Saimum Reza Talukder, prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal; Rezwan Islam from Engage Media; Advocate Sharmin Khan, legal consultant at ICNL facilitated the workshop.
They emphasised a stronger strategy for shaping future advocacy, people鈥檚 friendly policy, and collaborative programmes to uphold human rights in an evolving digital landscape.
