- Session Type: Roundtable
- Title: Refugees digital rights :Necessities and Needs
- Date: 11 th Nov,2018
Time: 12:20 -1:20
- Organizer(s):
Egyptian Foundation For Refugees Rights (EFRR)
African Civil Society on information Society (ACSIS)
- Chair/Moderator: Mr. Ian Brown
- Rapporteur/Notetaker:
- List of speakers and their institutional affiliations (Indicate male/female/ transgender male/ transgender female/gender variant/prefer not to answer):
1. Mohamed Farahat(Male) Egyptian Foundation For Refugees Rights (EFRR) & African Civil Society on information Society (ACSIS)
2. Ms. Xianhong Hu (Female) (UNESCO)
3. Dr. Cisse Kane (Male) African Civil Society on information Society (ACSIS)
4. Aron Martain PhD Research Fellow in Data Ethics,Tilburg Law School
- Theme (as listed here): Human Rights, Gender & Youth
- Subtheme (as listed here): Refugees
- Please state no more than three (3) key messages of the discussion. [150 words or less]
For refugees Connectivity is not a luxury. The digital rights are very important for refugees in host countries , to what extent the exited legal framework is relevant to ensure refugees digital rights ?
In education. Connectivity would enable refugees to take part in online training courses and access education remotely—and, for refugee students at the secondary and university levels, it will enable them to continue their disrupted education. Without connectivity, millions of displaced children won’t get the education to improve their skills and knowledge
In Livelihoods / self-reliance. Besides, Connectivity would make it much easier for refugees to create and sustain their own businesses, as well as make remote work possible, which will be particularly important in situations in which there are constraints on the right to work or limited opportunities in the local economy, and to what extent access to internet could change the refugees life in host or resettlement countries.
- Please elaborate on the discussion held, specifically on areas of agreement and divergence. [150 words]
Mr Mohamed Farahat, Lawyer, Egyptian Foundation for Refugee Rights and African Civil Society on Information Society (ACSIS), said that the main challenge for refugees in any county is limited access to the Internet and to education, which makes it impossible for families to reunite. Access to the Internet is the last resort for displaced people to communicate about important issues and challenges in both the host and the county of origin. Farahat added that the one of main legal challenges in the same context is the impact of national digital crime legislation on the refugees international protection which could lead to deport refugees back to their country of origin which could put them in the riske of torture or and kill .
Mr Ciss Kane, Chair, African Civil Society on the Information Society (ACSIS), stated that there is an ongoing debate about the relationship between the rights online and the rights offline, but, ‘all the rights offline should be also implemented online’. Kane noted that for refugees ‘the Internet is a luxury when in most of the cases they do not have clean water, toilets, cannot settle’. He suggested that the use of ICTs is probably the best way to ‘weight on the processes’ related to refugees in order to ‘make them have their own rights in all aspects’. The year 2019 will be ‘the year of refugees and displaced persons’. He reminded about the importance of access and cost-effectiveness, and the local content. ‘Sometimes they don't have a penny to have connection and they need to be in touch
Ms Xianhong Hu, Assistant Programme Specialist, UNESCO, noted that UNESCO is advocating for the Internet, fundamental principles, and information to be developed based on human rights that should be accessible by all. Hu noted that she thinks that digital rights need to be equally applied to refugees. ‘When a refugee comes to a country, they first have to ask for water and a shelter, but then they ask for a WiFi and a connection.’ She stated that the ICT and the Internet are central to satisfying refugees’ basic needs and address their well-being. She mentioned the following rights to keep in mind when we talk about refugees digital rights: freedom of expression, freedom of information, privacy and personal data protection. She said that barriers in using the Internet need to be removed for both women and children.
Mr Aaron K. Martin, PhD Research Fellow in Data Ethics, Tilburg Law School, joined the session via video link. He noted that it is crucial for refugees to be able to register for their own SIM card when in a foreign country, and to use bank cards. In Bangladesh, refugees are forbidden to have a SIM card and are even being imprisoned if found with one in their possession.
- Please describe any policy recommendations or suggestions regarding the way forward/potential next steps. [100 words]
1. Farahat recommended ‘amending the 1951 Convention’ by adopting new instruments which would relate specifically to rights of forced displaces people in connection to the digital rights.
Ms Xianhong recommended that following rights to keep in mind when we talk about refugees digital rights: freedom of expression, freedom of information, privacy and personal data protection. She said that barriers in using the Internet need to be removed for both women and children.
- What ideas surfaced in the discussion with respect to how the IGF ecosystem might make progress on this issue? [75 words]
- Please estimate the total number of participants.
35-40 persons out of 45 available places in the room , the session had a full room by participants
- Please estimate the total number of women and gender-variant individuals present.
60% women and 40 % men
- To what extent did the session discuss gender issues, and if to any extent, what was the discussion? [100 words]
The gender issues has discussed during the session , Ms Xianhong has shed lighted on this issues the main discussion point on that regard was about if there is specific statistic about the gender balance in context of refugees digital rights specially access to internet. The gender issues has covered during the session from other aspect when of audience spoke about the importance to consider the livelihood component when speak about refugees digital rights , in this issue there was agree between the participants digital rights and access to internet is vital for refugees women specially for single mothers specially in the case of access to work being not allowed for refugees in host country , as women could start their own work and projects through internet , So the recommendation was it is very important to secure access to internet for women refugees.