Coronavirus Pandemic
By Anayo Ezugwu
THE Paradigm Initiative of Nigeria has launched a platform to monitor digital rights violations in Africa. The company said the platform would allow people to report cases of digital rights violations.
Speaking during a virtual press conference in Lagos, Gbenga Sesan, executive director, Paradigm Initiative of Nigeria, said the platform would serve to collate cases of violations across the continent and that it would allow the company and its partners to coordinate best responses.
He noted that their goal is to ensure that no violation goes under the radar and also to create a safe space for citizens to report violations without fear and intimidation. We will continue to provide more information on this as the platform development continues.
“Through our Africa-wide and global community convened through the NetRights Africa coalition mailing list, we have been collating incidents of violations during the pandemic, and also offering support to community members,” he said.
According to Sesan, to tackle digital rights abuse, a draft digital regulation that countries and states can adopt in responding to the COVID19 pandemic that conforms to International human rights standards will soon be ready. He said the draft would enable interventions by the authorities in respective states or countries to leverage digital opportunities to ease communication, learning and other interventions.
He disclosed that PIN has been working with partners in Nigeria and Kenya to produce the draft, adding that it has moved all its Digital Inclusion processes and activities online. Sesan said that PIN was now working remotely, and leveraging on virtual tools to engage its audience, noting that the decision to move all its activities online was in response to the COVID 19 pandemic.
“It is quite difficult to do some of the policy interventions we do. With physical meetings suspended and courts processes halted and access to legislative houses restricted, we have embraced these realities and are forging ahead,” he said.
Sesan noted that The LIFE, Life Skills, ICTs, Financial literacy, and Entrepreneurship, Programme is PIN pilot programme, designed to train and expose young people in underserved communities to digital skills and technologies.
On the progress made so far in the programme, he said, the team was using creative ways to continue to engage the students by making use of basic tools like WhatsApp, Facebook, adding that PIN was building a mobile app that would accommodate the programme’s training contents (modules) and activities.
According to him, the team educates the students and their parents on why they need to embrace the new development and seek their support so they won’t be left out in this new development.
Sesan disclosed that PIN will premiere a short movie, next month that showcases the 2019 Africa Digital Rights report in a different way to resonate with a larger audience, saying that the movie is now in the final post-production stage and a trailer will be released next week.
– Apr. 28, 2020 @ 13:49 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19: Paradigm Initiative launches platform to monitor digital rights violation
