VOICE expresses concern over shrinking civic space, spread of gender disinformation

Amid growing concerns over the shrinking space for civic rights exercise in Bangladesh, VOICE, a research-based advocacy organisation, has released a new media monitoring report documenting widespread events and the spread of gender disinformation.

The report was published at an event in the capital's Karwan Bazar today (28 June).

During a panel discussion, speakers expressed grave concern over the rising tide of mob violence, farcical cases filed against journalists, and the harassment of writers and poets for their free expression.

During the event, Udisa Islam, city editor at Bangla Tribune, said, "We must ensure judicial independence and uphold due process in all cases involving journalists and human rights defenders. Without strong accountability mechanisms to bring perpetrators to justice, the culture of impunity will only deepen."

She stressed on raising collective voice to stop the filing of arbitrary murder cases, often implicating 300-500 unnamed individuals including journalists.

These lawsuits are being used as a tactic to intimidate and suppress, she said.

Describing the report as evidence of the increasingly restricted civic space in the country, independent researcher and human rights activist Rezaur Rahman Lenin said that its findings, analysis, and recommendations should be presented to policymakers to prompt concrete action.

Regarding gender disinformation, Mahpara Alam, researcher and fellow of One Future Network, South Asia, talked about the importance of strategic partnerships from the state level with major tech platforms, like, Facebook, TikTok etc. to ensure prompt identification and removal of harmful or objectionable content that is specifically humiliating for some communities due to their gender identity, class, caste or culture.

Meanwhile, Monjur Rashid, senior advisor for communications at UNDP's Social Protection Policy Support (SPPS) programme, said that while digitisation offers both benefits and risks, it's important to reflect on the kind of digital environment being shaped for future generations.

He stressed the need to break the lingering culture of silence in society in order to effectively address violations in digital and civic spaces.

The report draws on incidents tracked through monitoring leading newspapers, television, and their social media platforms, highlighting numerous cases of violence against journalists and human rights defenders.

These cases collectively point to an alarming erosion of the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, expression, assembly, association and so forth.

Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, executive director of VOICE, said, "To promote civic participation, it is crucial that we recognise gender disinformation and online gender-based violence as serious threats for women's participation in public spaces."

"We need laws aligned with international human rights standards and a nationwide push to expand digital literacy and civic education, especially at the grassroots level," he added.

Notable journalists, civil society representatives, law practitioners, and academics were present at the event.