CIVICUS Voices is a podcast that brings you voices of people, communities, and organisations defending civil liberties and human rights.Hosted by Aarti Narsee, the third season of the podcast is focused on the right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly (aka protesting). In this 6-part series, we will be joined by civil society experts and on-the-ground activists to tell us about their experiences with protesting. Check out season two of the podcast below and season one is available here.
Books not guns: Protests for school safety
In the final episode of season 3 of CIVICUS Voices, we look at protests for school safety, specifically those opposing gun violence. Our guests include Vuk Cvetković, a Serbian high school student who shares how students mobilised after school shootings to demand a safe learning environment and reforms to prevent other incidents. We later speak to Bruno Langeani a data analyst from Brazil to help us understand the trends and nuances of school violence in Brazil, and what can be done to protect students and teachers.
Resources
- Vuk Cvetković
- Bruno Langeani
A precious resource: protests for the right to water
In this episode of CIVICUS Voices, we look at protests movements demanding for safe and accessible drinking water.
Our guests include Alana Potter from WaterAid, who provides an international perspective on how access to water is being threatened and restricted in different communities around the world. We then speak with Faeza Meyer, a community organiser at the Africa Water Commons Collective whos shares her experience from Capte Town's 'Day Zero' restrictions on water. Later we speak with lawyer, Edy Tábora who has defended persecuted Guapinol water defenders in Honduras.
Resources
- Alana Potter
- Faeza Meyer
- Edy Tábora
Protests in the time of war and conflict
In this episode of CIVICUS Voices, amidst ongoing conflicts globally, we explore the complexities of mobilising and campaigning during wartimes.
Our guests include Polina Kurakina from OVD-Info, monitoring assembly and expression rights in Russia, Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk, and Sudanese youth climate activist Nisreen Elsaim, offering insights into protesting in the middle of a conflict.
Resources
Polina Kurakina
Oleksandra Matviichuk
Nisreen Elsaim
Workers' rights
The global cost-of-living crisis has been met with a crackdown on the rights of working people in every region of the world, and this year has seen the violations of workers rights reach record highs.
We continue this season by looking at workers' rights protests and mobilisations from across the world that have brought about real change, with a special focus on migrants, who are among the most vulnerable of all workers.
Resources
- Lennon Ying Dah Wong
- Eva Maria Jimenez Lamas
LGBTQI+ Rights in Africa
Same-sex relations are criminalised in 27 countries south of the Sahara. Penalties include fines, jail & even the death penalty. The hostile environment extends to activists who campaign for LGBTQI+ rights. In this episode, we speak to activists campaigning for change in the face of restrictions.
In this episode, Frank, Rose and Henry share their experiences in campaigning for equal rights.
Resources
- Frank Mugisha, Executive Director, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG)
- Rose Wakikona, human rights lawyer in Uganda
- Henry Wackam, Founder, Rainbow Refuge Africa
Protect the Protest
We kick off the third season by discussing the state of protest rights amid growing restrictions. The right to the freedom of peaceful assembly continues to be critical, especially where we see democracies backsliding, governments failing to listen to the people, and a growing anti-rights backlash.
In this episode, Marianna and Ruki will be answering our questions.
Resources
- Marianna Belalba Barreto, CIVICUS Monitor
- Ruki Fernando, Human Rights Activist (Sri Lanka)
Meet the host
Aarti Narsee She/Her
Aarti Narsee is a civic space and gender rights expert and a former journalist, who has worked both with civil society and in civil society for several years. In her former role at CIVICUS, she researched and documented trends in civic space in Europe and Central Asia for the CIVICUS Monitor. Through her intersectional feminist approach, she monitors and provides commentary on the intersections between gender rights and civic space. As a former journalist and avid storyteller, Aarti has written extensively about gender, LGBTQI+ and human rights. Follow Aarti on twitter: @ajnarsee.
