Civil society actors, journalists, and human rights defenders have urged for stronger mechanisms to hold the government accountable in protecting and promoting civic and digital space in Bangladesh.
The call was made at a strategy workshop titled “Safeguarding Voice: Strategy to Strengthen Civic and Digital Space”, organized by Voices for Interactive Choice and Empowerment (VOICE) in the capital on Thursday, according to a statement.
The event brought together representatives from civil society, media, women and youth activists, legal and rights organizations to review and provide input on a newly developed national strategy paper focused on strengthening civic space, with particular attention to tackling gender disinformation. T
he strategy was developed under the project ‘Collaborative Actions for Promoting Digital and Civic Space and Combating Gender Disinformation’, funded by the European Union, Free Press Unlimited, and Article 19, and jointly implemented by VOICE and The Daily Ittefaq.
“Our society remains largely insensitive to gendered disinformation within civic spaces. Existing laws must be reformed through a citizen-centric lens to address this gap,” said activist and researcher Rezaur Rahman Lenin.
Participants included representatives from Article 19, Media Research and Development Initiative (MRDI), Nijera Kori, International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Engage Media, SPARC, SANGAT, and journalists from various media outlets.
Presenting key elements of the strategy, Musharrat Mahera, Deputy Director at VOICE, stated, “As civic and digital spaces shrink, civil society must push for laws that uphold people’s rights and digital dignity, not silence dissent.”
Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, Executive Director of VOICE told 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.
The workshop also emphasized the importance of collaboration among civil society, media, academia, youth, and government to ensure civic and digital environments remain open, secure, and inclusive.
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 EngageMedia, Advocate Sharmin Khan, Legal Consultant of International Centre for Not for Profit Law (ICNL) facilitated the workshop.
They emphasized a stronger strategy for shaping future advocacy, people’s friendly policy, and collaborative programmes to uphold human rights in an evolving digital landscape.
