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KeyFindingsandRecommendations:StakeholdermappingofcounteringhatespeechinMyanmar–ExternalReport
SearchforCommonGround
TableofContents
Background ............................................................................................................................................ 2
StakeholderMappingOverview ........................................................................................................... 3
Findings .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Sourcesofhatespeech ....................................................................................................................................4 Keyactorsinvolvedindirecteffortstocounterhatespeech ........................................................................4 Approachesandstrategiesforcounteringhatespeech .................................................................................5
Directapproaches .........................................................................................................................................5 Indirectapproaches ......................................................................................................................................6
Howorganizationsevaluateresults ................................................................................................................6 Notablechallengesfacedbyactorscounteringhatespeech .........................................................................7
Generalchallengesforallactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech .............................................7 Challengesofhatespeechmonitoringandresponse ..................................................................................9 Challengesofmediaproductionandcountermessaging ............................................................................9
Whatisworking .............................................................................................................................................10
Planningconsiderationsandrecommendations ............................................................................... 11 Planningconsiderations .................................................................................................................................11 Recommendations .........................................................................................................................................12
Generalrecommendations .........................................................................................................................12 Recommendationstoenhanceeffectivenessofhatespeechmonitoringandresponse ..........................13 Recommendationstopromotestrategicpeacemediaandcountermessaging .......................................14
Thisstakeholdermappingreportwasproducedaspartofaprojectentitled“TheImpactofFreedomofExpression,Religion,andBelief:measuringresultsthroughonlineinitiatives”,fundedbytheNetherlandsEmbassy.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
Background Despitepositivestepstowardsfreedomofexpression,thelastfewyearshasseenanincreasinguseofonlinehatespeech,primarilytargetingreligiousminorities.Boutsofinter-communalviolencehaveresultedfromarumororaphoto,whichwasspreadwidelyonline,andMyanmarhasseenthedevelopmentofechochambers,whereextremistviewsareeasilypropagated.Atthesametime,Myanmarhasseenanunprecedentedscaleofconnectionandaccesstoinformationandasaresult,29%ofthepopulationisnowconnectedviasmartphones.Withlowmedialiteracyratesnationwide1,escalatedlevelsofhatespeechparticularlyamongstestablishedprogressivevoicescreateconditionsforwidespreadacceptanceofprolongedviolencetargetingminorities.
Recentsevereescalationinviolenceinthecountryhascoincidedwithadrasticriseinhatespeechandnationalistfervor.HatespeechnarrativesofextremistactorsthathaveattimeshadswayovermainstreamsocietyhaveworkedtheirwayintothediscourseofsomeofthemostprogressivevoicesofMyanmarsociety.Political,religiousandcivilsocietyleaderswhohavebeenlongtimeadvocatesfordemocracyandjusticecommonlyproduceandsharehatespeechnarratives.
Anumberoforganizationsareworkingtocounterhatespeechhoweverlittleresearchexistsontheimpactoftheseinitiativesandwithoutevidenceofimpact,andacoordinatedresponsetochallengemacrolevelconflictnarratives,itischallengingtomeasureandaddresstheimpactofthesuccessofcivilsocietyefforts.
Theoverallaimoftheproject‘’TheImpactofFreedomofExpression,Religion,andBelief:measuringresultsthroughonlineinitiatives”,istostrengthenlocalcivilsocietyorganizationsinmonitoringandevaluatingtheimpactofcounterhatespeechinitiatives(bothonlineandoffline).Theprojectwillresultinincreasedknowledgeandskillsoflocalcivilsocietyorganizationsonmonitoringmethodsandtoolstosuccessfullytackletheofflineeffectsofonlinehatespeechandincreasedbestpracticesharingandopportunitiesforlessonssharingamonglocalcivilsocietyorganizations,networks,andtheinternationalcommunitytoincreasetheimpactofexistingandfutureinitiativestocounterhatespeech.Aspartoftheproject,astakeholdermappingwasundertakentoidentifyorganizationsconductingactivitiestocounterhatespeech,theirstrategiesandtheirmonitoringandevaluationprocessesandtocomeupwithfindingsoutliningkeychallengesandrecommendations.Whilenouniversallyaccepteddefinitionsexist,toguideplanning,datacollectionandanalysisforthisstakeholdermappingthefollowingdefinitionsofkeytermswereused:Hate-speech:Speechthatisintendedtofosterhatredagainstgroupsbasedonrace,religion,gender,sexualpreference,nationalorigin,orothertraits.Attheleastitfostershatredanddiscrimination,andatitsworstitpromotesviolenceandkilling.2Dangerousspeech:Speechactsthathaveasignificantprobabilityofcatalyzingoramplifyingviolencebyonegroupagainstanother.3
1SearchMyanmar,2015,CommunityInformationFlowstoReduceInter-communalViolenceinBurma,CIMResearchReport2UnitedStatesInstituteofPeace,2011,PeaceTerms:GlossaryofTermsforConflictManagementandPeacebuilding.3Thisdefinitionrecommendedinpage54ofUnitedNationsEducational,ScientificandCulturalOrganization,2015,CounteringOnlineHateSpeech.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 3
StakeholderMappingOverview Theobjectivesofthisstakeholdermappinginclude:
• Toidentifyorganizationsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech,theirstrategies/activitiesandassociatedcounterhatespeechmessaging.
• Tocapturethekeyresultsoftheworktheyaredoingandtoidentifycurrenttoolstheyusetomonitoranddemonstratesuccess.
• Toidentifytheirstrengths,challengesandcapacitybuildingneeds,andtoidentifygapsacrosseffortstocounterhatespeech.
Datacollectionforthisreporttookplacebetween14-25July2017.ThemappingteamconsistedoftheleadresearchconsultantandtheSFCGprojectcoordinator.
Datacollectionforthisstakeholdermappingincludedthreetargetgroups:1. Theprimarytargetgroupofthisstakeholdermappingisorganizationsworkingbothonline
andofflinetocounterhatespeechorpromotepeacespeech.Theresearchplananddatacollectionfocusedpredominantlyonthistargetgroup.
2. Additionally,asecondarytargetgroupfordatacollectionincludedorganizationsandprojectsengagedinadvocatingonlawsoffreedomofexpressionandstakeholdersself-censoringduetofearsfortheirsecurity.
3. Athirdtargetgroupincludedisorganizationsandprojectstakingindirectapproaches4tocounterhatespeech,oftentimesnotusingthetermhatespeechthemselves.
Themethodologyusedfortheresearchincludeddeskresearch,preliminaryinterviewsandstructuredkeyinformantinterviews.Organizationsprofiledintheinternalversionofthisreportwereidentifiedthroughasnowballmethodologyofsamplingfromkeyinformantinterviews.
Limitationsfortheresearchincluded:
• FindingsfromthisreportpredominantlyreflecttheexperiencesandperspectivesoforganizationswithapresenceinYangonwhohaveastrategicfocusoncounteringhatespeech.Consideringtheircollectiveeffortscriticaltocounteringhatespeech,findingsdoincludesomeinputsfromorganizationsinvolvedincounteringhatespeechbutwithnostrategicfocusonit,aswellasgrassrootsorganizationsbasedoutsideofYangonandorganizationstakingindirectapproaches.
• Alsonotethatthisreportisastakeholdermappingofactorscounteringhatespeech,andnotinanywayaconflictanalysisoranalysisofhatespeechmessaging,strategyoractors.Togathermorefullinformationabouthatespeechactors,strategiesandmessagingamorecomprehensiveandfocusedconflictanalysiswouldneedtobeconducted.
4Indirectapproachesarecoveredonpage7ofthisreport.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
FindingsThissectioncoversfindingsofthestakeholdermappingincludingabriefnoteonprimarysourcesofhatespeech,adescriptionofkeyactorscounteringhatespeech,ananalysisofstrategiestakentocounterhatespeechandanoverviewofnotablechallengesfacedbyactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech.
Box4:Socialmediaplatforms
ThepredominantsocialmediaplatformthatfacilitatesthespreadofhatespeechinMyanmaralsousedbycivilsocietyactorstosharecounternarrativesandpeacenarrativesisFacebook.Fewrespondentsalsonotedsomeadditionalusageoftwitter,Viberandwechat.
SourcesofhatespeechWhilenotthefocusofthisresearch,duringthedatacollectionprocessrespondentssharedsomerelevantinformationaboutsourcesofhatespeech.Keylearningisprovidedbelow:
• HatespeechisconductedonlinepredominantlythroughFacebookandofflineviaDVDs,pamphlets,signboards,books,speakerphonecartsandothermethods.
• Thereareapproximately150Facebookpagesproducingandsharinghatespeechcontent,andofthese120arethemostactiveproducerswhile30ofthempredominantlyjustsharehatespeechproducedbyothers.5
• HatespeechcommentaryonnewsarticlesandhatespeechattacksonFacebookpages/postspromotingdemocraticvalues,respectfordiversityandcivic/politicalrightsaresignificant.
KeyactorsinvolvedindirecteffortstocounterhatespeechKeyactorsinvolvedindirecteffortstocounterhatespeechfallintothreecategories:
Organizationswithstrategicfocusoncounteringhatespeech:Someorganizationsinthisgroupwerededicatedfullytocounteringhatespeechwhileothersincludedcounteringhatespeechasoneprogramareawithinamorecomprehensivestrategicframework.Researchincludeddetailedfeedbackfromeightoftheseorganizations,allofwhichwereeitherbasedinYangonorhaveapresenceinYangon.
Organizationscounteringhatespeech,butwithnostrategicfocusonit:Manyorganizationsinthisgrouphadconductedatleastoneprojectoractivitytheyconsideredascounteringhatespeech.Whiletheseorganizationsdidnothaveastrategicfocusoncounteringhatespeech,theiroverallaimsandongoingactivitieswererelevanttocounteringhatespeech.Manyoftheseorganizationsalsonotedthattheybecameinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeechbecausetheybecametargetsofhatespeechasaresultoftheirworkpromotingcivicengagement,democraticvaluesandinterfaithunderstanding.
GrassrootsorganizationsbasedoutsideofYangon:GrassrootsactorsareofcriticalimportanceineffortstocounterhatespeechandwithintheMyanmarcontextwherecivilsocietygroupsarevibrantandoftenoperatewithlowvisibility,grassrootsactorscounteringhatespeechcanbeexpectedtobeprevalentinallgeographiclocationsaroundthecountry.Someareinvolvedmoredirectlyincounteringhatespeechwhileotherstakeindirectapproaches.Mostorganizationsfrom 5Numerousrespondentscitedthisnumber.PENMyanmaridentifiedandmonitored153Facebookpagesfortheirreport-PENMyanmar,2015,HateSpeech:AStudyofPrint,Movies,SongsandSocialMediainMyanmar.C4ADSidentifiedandmonitored100pagesfortheirreportC4ADS,SticksandStones:HateSpeechNarrativesandFacilitatorsinMyanmar.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 5
thisgrouphavelittlecontactwithdonorsandarelessconnectedtoformalnetworksinvolvedincounteringhatespeechorpromotinginterfaith/inter-communalharmony.
ApproachesandstrategiesforcounteringhatespeechThissectionprovidesanoverviewbothdirectandindirectapproachestakentocounterhatespeech,andwithineachofthesetwomainapproachesnumerousstrategiescanbetaken.Oftenorganizationstakebothdirectandindirectapproaches,takingonarangeofstrategies.
Directapproaches
HatespeechmonitoringandresponseStrategy Howitworks
1.Hatespeechmonitoring
MostorganizationsmonitoringhatespeechonlinehaveidentifiedspecificFacebookpagesonline,codedcommonhatespeechtermsandphrasesandthenhiredstafftocheckFacebookpagesonaregularschedulemanuallymarkinghatespeechusingcodes.Manyorganizationsalsomonitorhatespeechofflineandhavepersonsonthegroundtrackingtheflowofhatespeechflyers,DVDs,hatecampaignbanners.Someorganizationsmonitorbothonlineandofflinehatespeech.
2.Rumormitigation Someorganizationsinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoringalsoincludedrumormitigationactivities.Sometrainedstaffandpartnerstoinvestigateandgatherfactspertainingtotherumorthenpublishinformedreportinginlocalorsocialmediatodispelrumors.Someorganizationsworkedwithlocalofficials,somewithjournalistsandotherswithbloggersandpersonswithsocialmediapresence/followingincertaingeographiclocationsineffortstomitigatetheinfluenceofrumorsandlimittheirpotentialtosparkviolence.
3.Buildingresponsemechanisms
Organizationsworkingwithrapidresponsetendedtoworkwithinageographicareawithcommunityandcivilsocietyleadersasmainfocalpoints.Theycoordinatewithandcollectcontactinformationforlocalpoliceandofficials,parliamentaryrepresentativesforsaidarea,bloggersandpersonsofinfluenceonsocialmedia,andotherstoprovidealistofpeoplewhomaybecontactedonamomentsnoticetorespondwhenanincidentoccursthatmayturntoorganizedviolence.
MediaandcountermessagingStrategy Howitworks
4.Socialmediacampaigns
Someorganizationswereinvolvedinthedevelopmentofsocialmediacampaignstocounterhatespeechand/orpromotepeacespeech.Someoftheseweregrassrootseffortsandothersweredevelopedbylargerandmoreestablishedorganizations.Inmanycasesthesecampaignswereaproductofcollaborativeprocessesandreceivedinputandsupportfrommanyactors.
5.Peaceandcounterhatespeechmedia
Someorganizationsincludedtheproductionofmovies,books,documentaries,reports,commercials,TV/radioprogramsandothermaterialstopromotenarrativesofpeacefulcoexistence;someorganizationsalsoproducedreportsonhatespeechactorsanddynamics.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
LegalapproachesStrategy Howitworks
6.Takinglegalmeasures
Anetworkoforganizationsweretakinglegalmeasures,previouslytocounterthe‘ProtectionofRaceandReligionLaws’of2014/15,andnowareworkingtodraftan‘Anti-HateSpeechBill’
IndirectapproachesWhiletheseactorsdonotoftenconsidertheireffortsas‘counteringhatespeech,’manyorganizations,groupsandindividualstakeanindirectapproachtocounteringhatespeech.Theseareconsideredtohaveaprofoundinfluenceonmitigatingtheeffectsofhatespeechandaddressingitsrootcausestherebyreducingtheinfluenceofhatespeechinthelong-term.
Amongstavastmultitudeofstrategiestheytakethataddresseconomic,politicalandsocialrootcausesofinter-communalconflict,indirectstrategiesforcounteringhatespeechidentifiedinthisstakeholdermappinginclude:
• Promotingcriticalmedia/informationliteracy.• Civicsandcitizenshipeducation.• Peaceandmulticulturaleducation.• Responsibleinvestigativejournalism.• Interfaithactivitiesandfacilitationofsharedexperiencesamongstdiversepopulations.• Collaborativedevelopmentprojects.
HoworganizationsevaluateresultsFindingsshowedthatorganizationstakevariousapproaches,bothformalandinformal,toevaluateresultsoftheirprojectsandactivities.Whilenoorganizationincludedhadspecificindicatorstheyusedtoevaluatelong-termresultsoftheirprojectsandactivities,patternswerenotedastohoworganizationsevaluateresultsinlinewithaforementionedstrategies.
EvaluatingresultsofhatespeechmonitoringandresponseStrategy Commonapproachestoevaluateresults
1.Hatespeechmonitoring
Mostorganizationsinterviewedwhousethisstrategytrackthenumberofreportsproducedaccuratelydocumentinghatespeechonidentifiedsitesorofflineinidentifiedgeographiclocations.Manyorganizationsalsomeasureresultsbyhowmanyindividualsandorganizationsaccessedtheirreports.
2.Rumormitigation Organizationsusingthisstrategyidentifyresultsbyhowmanyrumorswereidentified,investigatedandmitigatedwithinagivenperiodoftimeandgeographiclocation.Whiletechniquesformitigationvaried,organizationsidentifiedsuccessstoriesfrominterventionsbypolice,counter-reportingbyjournalists,orothermitigationmeans.
3.Buildingresponsemechanisms
Feworganizationsinthisstakeholdermappingwereinvolvedinthistypeofactivity;however,thosethatwerehadtwowaysofdemonstratingresults:1)demonstratingtheirabilitytoutilizetheirnetworkstosetupsuchresponsemechanismsintargetcommunitiesandtheexpectedreadinessoflocalcommunitiestorespondtopotentialincidents,and2)informaltellingofsuccessstoriesofhowtheyrespondedtoviolencebysuccessfullyleveragingcommunityresponsemechanisms.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 7
EvaluatingresultsofmediaandcountermessagingStrategy Commonapproachestoevaluateresults
4.Socialmediacampaigns
Organizationsinvolvedinlaunchingsocialmediacampaignsusedsocialmediaanalyticstoshowthereachoftheirpost,numberoflikes,etc.asapredominantmethodofdemonstratingsuccess.Somealsonotedstoriesofindividualsinfluencedbyacampaignwhohaveexpressedchangedattitudesasaresultoftheircampaign.
5.Peaceandcounterhatespeechmedia
Organizationsproducingpeacemediaandreportsonhatespeechalsonotedthereachoftheirmediaandreports,specificallyhowmanypeopletheirreportsandmediaweresentto,orhowmanypeopleviewedordownloadedtheirreports/mediaonline.Someorganizationscollectedpreandpostquestionnairestomeasureattitudesbeforeandafterwatchingavideopromotinginter-communalharmony.
EvaluatingresultsoflegalapproachesStrategy Commonapproachestoevaluateresults
6.Takinglegalmeasures Organizationsworkingtoproducethe‘Anti-hateSpeechBill’willmeasuretheirsuccessontheirabilitytoadvocateforthebillinparliamentandgetitadoptedintolaw.Laterperhapstheymayevaluatetheusageofthelaw,butnoplanwasdemonstratedtoimplementthisasthemainfocusisediting,reviewingandcompletingdraftsofthebill.
Notablechallengesfacedbyactorscounteringhatespeech
Generalchallengesforallactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech
SafetyandsecurityAlmostallrespondents,eventhosenotdirectlyengagedinactivitiesexplicitlycounteringhatespeech,commentedabouthowtheyhavebeenthetargetofhatespeechattacksonsocialmedia.Somerespondentsreportedthreats,cyber-attacksandphysicalattacks.Hatespeechisattimesanimplicitcalltoviolenceandatothersanexplicitcalltoviolence;therefore,itisnotsurprisingthatactorscounteringhatespeechfeelthreatened,andinmanycasesreceivedirectthreats.
LackofacohesivedefinitionofhatespeechRespondentsnotedhowthelackofacohesivedefinitionofhatespeechamongstactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeechmakescoordinationofhatespeechmonitoringacrossorganizationsdifficultandlimitsthepotentialforcollaborativeaction.
Withoutconsensusonwhathatespeechis,actorsmonitoringhatespeechhavedifficultycoordinatingtheiractionsanditischallengingtomeasurechangeovertimeifthereisnoagreeddefinitionofhatespeechorclassificationofwhathatespeechincludes.TherehasbeensomeprogresstodefineandcategorizehatespeechbygroupsworkingontheAnti-hateSpeechBillandotherpartners;however,inthesecasesandothersthedefinitionandclassificationofhatespeechhasbeenconductedforspecificpurposesandislimitedwithoutwidercollaboration/consensus.
ChallengestodevelopcreativeandstrategicapproachesManyrespondentsnotedhowtheyandothershavedifficultydevelopingcreativeandstrategicapproachestocounterhatespeech.Somerespondentsdiscussedhowitiseasytoidentifytheproblemstheyseektoaddress,butgiventheprevalenceandintensenatureofhatespeechitmuchmoredifficulttocomeupwithcreativeideasthatareviableandaddressissuesinastrategic
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
manner.ManyorganizationsfurthernotedthattheyhavedifficultyformulatingstrategiesforhowICT6canbeutilizedmosteffectivelytocounterhatespeechonlineandhowtheylacktechnicalskillstogetexposureonsocialmedia.
LackofcollaborativestrategiesforactionManyrespondentsalsonotedthatcollaborationamongstdiverseactorsinterestedincounteringhatespeechislow.Somerespondentsnotedthatthelowlevelsofcollaborationcontributetothedifficultymanycivilsocietyactorshavetoproducecreativeandinterestingstrategiestocounterhatespeech.RespondentsnotedparticularlylowequalstatuscollaborationbetweenCBOs/NGOsbasedinYangonandgrassrootsCBOsoutsideofmajorurbancitiesaswellaslowinvolvementofactorsoutsideoftheCBO/NGOsector.
GeneralcoordinationManyrespondentsnotedthattheyfeltthattheiractionswereeffective,butthattherewasmuchreplicationofeffortsandlittlecoordination.Coordinationisparticularlyrelevantforactorsworkingtomonitorhatespeech,mitigaterumorsandrespondtopotentialoutbreaksofviolence.ExistingcoordinationmechanismsareprovidedinBox6.
Box6:CoordinationMechanisms
Relevantmechanismsinclude:1. TheInter-CommunalHarmonyWorking
Group2. TheMettaSetwaingConsortium3. Theworkinggroupofcivilsocietygroups
producingThe‘HateSpeechBill.’4. TheHateSpeechWorkingGroup7
Whilerespondentsnotedthatactorsthatproducehatespeecharehighlycoordinatedandstrategic,manychallengestocoordinationwerefoundamongstactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech.Manyrespondentsnotedhoweachorganizationoperatestheirownprojectandmayhavenetworkswithothergroupsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech,butnoformalsystemforsharingofinformationhasbeenfoundamongstthoseinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech.Respondentsgenerallynotedaneedforimprovedcoordinationandexpressedinterestinit;however,manyalsonotedhowtheyarequitebusywiththeirworkdutiesandhaveoftenmissedcoordinationmeetingsasaresult.
EvaluatingresultsSomerespondentsfurthernotedthatmostcivilsocietygroupshavelowcapacitytodevelopeffectivestrategiesandinarelatedmannertoevaluateresultsagainstaclearstrategy,sothattheymayproducelearningthatwillinformmorestrategicaction.Challengestoevaluatingresultsarerelatedtochallengesindevelopingstrategicplans.Evaluationshouldbeincludedintheplanningprocess,aswell-plannedinterventionsmakeiteasiertodevelopevaluationssystems.
ReachoftechnicalandcapacitybuildingtrainingsSomerespondentsalsonotedhowthetechnicalskillandcapacitybuildingtrainingthatisconductedusuallytakesplacewithinthesamenetworksofthesamepeopleattendingmultipletrainingandthusseldomreachesfurtherbeyondthesecircles.Inthissituation,theissueisthatwhilesomepeople/groupsareaccessingtechnicalskillstraining,peacebuildingtrainingandcapacitydevelopmentopportunities,numerousotherswhoaremotivatedtocounterhatespeechandcreate/promotepeacenarratives,andwhomayhaveuniqueandcreativeideasaremissingtheopportunitytodeveloptheskillstheyneedtoimplementtheirideaseffectively.
6Informationandcommunicationstechnology7ManyrespondentsmentionedtheHateSpeechworkingGroup,notingthatthegroupmaynotusethisnameformally(thegrouphasyettochooseasuitablename).Thisgroupisrelativelynewandmeetsinfrequently.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 9
Challengesofhatespeechmonitoringandresponse
OverlapandgapsRespondentsinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoringnotedhowthereisalotofoverlapofmonitoringactivitiesacrossFacebookpages,newsmediasites,andgeographicareas,whileatthesametimetherearegapsinmonitoringcoverage.OnapracticallevelthismeansthatmanygroupsaremonitoringthesameFacebook/mediasitesandgeographiclocationswhilesomeFacebook/mediasitesandgeographiclocationsarenotcovered.
ManualmonitoringprocessesdifficultandresourcedependentRespondentsnotedhighturnoverofstaffwhomonitorFacebookpagesasmonitoringFacebookpagesalldayandmanuallycategorizinghatespeechpostsisboringworkwithlowpay.ThecostoftrainingkeepingthenumbersofstaffneededtomanuallymonitorFacebookpagesisequallyhigh.
ChallengestoclassificationofhatespeechtermsandphrasesAsidefromhavingnocohesivedefinitionofhatespeech,notedchallengestofurthercategorizationofhatespeechtermsandphrasesincludepredominantlydifficultiescategorizingwrittenBurmesescript.RespondentsdiscussedhowthemeaningofmanyhatespeechwordsinBurmeselanguageisoftendiscernedinrelationtootherwordssurroundingit.Additionally,respondentsnotedhowthewayBurmeseisspokenandwritteninoneareaisdifferentfromanother.
Muchofhatespeechmonitoringtodateandautomationtoolsinproductionfocusonwords,butdon’ttakeintoaccountthecontexttheyarewrittenin.Manyrespondentsnotedhowsimplecodingandtrackingoflanguagecanmisidentifyderogatorywordslike‘kalar’asthiswordisalsousedinothernon-derogatorywayslikekalar-tain(chair)orkalar-beh(lentlebean),orhowhatespeechcancontainwordsnotidentifiedorcodedashatespeechwordsdependingonthecontextornuanceinthewrittencontent.
NoautomationtoolsavailableToresolvethenumerousdifficultiesofmanualhatespeechmonitoringsomeorganizationshavetestedhatespeechmonitoringautomationtools,butwithlittlesuccess.Todatenofullyoperationalsoftwareexiststhatisabletoautomatetheprocessofhatespeechmonitoring(seeBox7).
Box7:AutomationTools
Researchidentifiedafewautomationtoolspilotedbyhatespeechmonitoringactors.MostnotablewasBindezInsights,developedincollaborationwithBindezandalocalpartner.WhilemuchprogresswasmadeintheinitialpilotofBindezInsightsthecatalogueofhatespeechwordsandphrasesintegratedintothesoftwareisnotcomprehensivenordiditinvolveenoughofalevelofstakeholdercollaborationtomakeitusableforallcivilsocietygroupsinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoring.Additionally,thesoftwarewasdevelopedandtestedandneedssomefurtherdevelopmenttoworkthroughissuesidentifiedintheinitialpilotphase.
Challengesofmediaproductionandcountermessaging
LowtechnicalskillsfordevelopingsocialmediacampaignsWiththerecentrapidexpansionofmobileinternetservicesinacountrywhereinternetusagewasuntilveryrecentlyextremelylow,respondentsnotedthatinterfaithandothercivilsocietyactorsaregenerallyweakontechnicalskillsforcounteringhatespeechonline.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
Lowpeacebuildingcompetencyandskillsfordevelopingcounter-messagesSomerespondentsdiscussedhowthatwhiletherearehighlevelsofcivilsocietyinterestinproducingcountermessagesandpeacemedia,inadditiontotechnicalskillsasabarrier,manygroupsalsolackexperienceandskillsfordevelopinganddeliveringstrategicmessages.Uniquefromtechnicalskills,capacitydevelopmentinthisareaismorerelatedtopeacebuildingexpertisethatisusefulfordevelopinganddeliveringstrategicmessagesforpeace.
LowdiversityamongstcounterhatespeechmessengersSomerespondentsnotedhowmostcivilsocietygroupsproducingmediaandmessagingtocounterhatespeechlackdiversityamongstactorsdeliveringthemessages(ie.interfaithNGOs/CBOsandothersimilartypesoforganizationsdeliverthemessagesthemselves).Deliveryofcounter-messagesisoftenasimportantasthemessageitself.WhileitisimportanttohavemessagescomingfromNGOs/CBOsthemselves,itwasfoundthatwhenthereislittlediversityamongstthosewhoareseendeliveringcountermessages,resultscanbelimited.Inanalysisofthefindings,fourmajortypesofactorsareunder-representedamongstactorsdeliveringcounter-messages:
1. Politicalleaders:Withpoliticalleaderssoofteninvolvedinpromotinghatespeechitiscriticalthatpoliticalleadersbeattheforefrontofcounter-messagingandpeacespeech.Politicalleadersinmanycontextsdelivermessagespromotinganinclusivenationalidentity.
2. Religiousleaders:Likewise,withreligiousleadersoftenattheforefrontofcreatingandpromotinghatespeechitiscriticalthattheybeattheforefrontofcounter-messagingandpeacespeech,tocounteractmoreextremistvoices.
3. Culturalicons:Culturaliconsareshowntohavedeepinfluenceonnationalcultures.Theirinvolvementindeliveringcounter-messagesandpromotingpeacespeechcanhaveprofoundpositiveinfluenceoncultures.Culturaliconsmayincludeartists,musicians,mediapersonalities,comediansandotherpersonsofinfluence.
4. Thoseformerlyinvolvedingroupspromotinghatespeech:Inmanycontextsithasbeenshownthatindividualsalreadyinfluencedbyhatespeecharemoreresponsivetomessagesfrom‘excombatants’or‘personsformerlyinvolvedinextremistgroups.’
WhatisworkingUltimately,therearewidearrayofdeepandlongstandingeconomic,socialandpoliticalissuesatplaythatMyanmarasacountrymusttransformiftheinfluenceofhatespeechistobedissolved.Itwilltakeadiversearrayofactorsusingarangeofapproachessimultaneouslytoensurethatthesocietyanditsleaderswhollyrejecthatespeechandassociatedviolence.
Individually,respondentsgenerallyfeltthattheireffortswereeffective;however,itwascommonthattheyfelttheireffortswerenotenough.Itiswhencivilsocietyactorscoordinatetheiractionsandwhentheycollaboratetodevelopcreativesolutionsthatthedeepestimpactsarerealized.
Panzagar’sflowerspeechcampaignisagreatexample.Fromitscollaborativebeginningsthiscampaignhashadavisibleandprofoundinfluenceonthecontext.AswiththeexampleofPanzagar,whenabroadrangeofcivilsocietyactorscometogetherinaprocessofcollaborationnotonlyarecreativeideasdeveloped,buttheuniqueskillsandtalentsneededtobringthemtolife,spreadtheirmessagesandsustaintheireffortsareavailable.
Whilethereisnoshortageofactorsworkingtocounterhatespeechandtransformdeeperunderlyingissues,itisthosethathaveaccesstothetechnicalcapacityandutilizecollaborativespacesthatareabletoseethebestresults.Inmanycasesthemostinnovativeandinfluentialprojectsaredevelopedwhencivilsocietyactorswithdeepknowledgeofthecontextcollaboratewithandaresupportedbyactorsthathaveparticulartechnicalexpertiseofteninshortsupply.Innovationasakeypathwaytobringsocietiesbeyondintractableconflict,collaborativeeffortssuchastheseareinvaluable.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 11
Planningconsiderationsandrecommendations
Planningconsiderations
PlanaheadforanexpectedriseinhatespeechanddangerousspeechConsiderthelikelihoodofariseinhatespeechandpotentialforincreasedlevelsofviolenceintherun-uptothe2020election.Politicalcampaignsoftendrivedivisionandamplifyhatespeech.Inreferencetofindingsfromthisstakeholdermappingreportitisexpectedthathatespeechactorsareplanningfortherunuptothe2020election.Actorspromotingpeaceandtolerance,particularlyincounteringhatespeechandpromotingpeacespeechshouldtoo.
Planaheadwhenconsideringorganizationalstrategiesforcounteringhatespeech.Whenreviewingthefollowingrecommendationsconsiderthetimeframerequiredtocompleterecommendedactivities(example-Recommendation9:Developmentofahatespeechlexicon).Ifactorsintendtoutilizeanyofthefollowingrecommendations,thenconsiderwhatneedstobedoneinadvance,sothattheintendedresultscometobeingpriortotheelectionseasonorarepreparedforelectionseason.Likewise,considersocialmediacampaignsorotherstrategies/activitiesthatwouldbeeffectiveintheelectionseason,planaheadandprepareforthemnowthattheymaybefullyoperationalbyelectionseason.
Considerdiversity.Beinclusive!WiththefocusofcounterhatespeecheffortspredominantlyrespondingtohighlevelsofhatespeechtargetingtheMuslimcommunity,itisimportantthatpeaceactorsconsiderhatespeechtargetingotherfaithcommunities,othergroupslikewomen,theLGBTQcommunity,andothers.ThedefinitionofhatespeechfromUSIPthatwasusedtoguidethisstakeholdermappingidentifieshatespeechasspeechthatisintendedtofosterhatredagainstgroupsbasedon“race,religion,gender,sexualpreference,nationalorigin,orothertraits.”
Beinclusive!Effortstocounterhatespeechshouldbeinclusiveofdifferenttypesofhatespeechandthegroupstheytarget.Considergenderedperspectivesoninter-communalconflictandhatespeechtargeting.UntiladefinitionexiststhathaswideagreementacrosscivilsocietyactorsinMyanmarthedefinitionofhatespeechusedinthisreportcanbeusedtosupportinclusiveapproachestocounteringhatespeech.
ConsidertheuniquestrengthsandchallengesofgrassrootsactorsItisimportanttohighlighttheuniquevalueandchallengesfacedbygrassrootsactorsworkingtocounterhatespeech.MuchhatespeechinMyanmarcontinuesofflineandmaneuverswithinlocalcontextsitiscriticaltosupportgrassrootsactorsworkinginconflictproneareas.
Expectingthatthesampleisrepresentativeofgrassrootsactorsaroundthecountry,grassrootsrespondentswerefoundtohavehighmotivationanddeepknowledgeofthecontext.Theyfaceuniquechallengestoaccessfunding,gainexposuretodonorsandreceivetechnicalsupport.ManyhavelowEnglishlanguageabilityandlowexperiencemanaginggrantsaswellaslowcapacityinhumanresources,monitoringandevaluation,administration,etc.Theyarefurtherathigherrisktobetargetsofphysicalattackbyhatespeechactors.Theirnetworksdon’toftenreachtocoordinationmechanismsbasedinYangonandinmanycases,theydon’thavemuchconnectionwithlargernationalNGOsbasedinYangon.
ConsiderdirectstrategiesandindirectapproachesInreviewofthearrayofdirectandindirectapproachestocounterhatespeechoutlinedinthefindingssectionofthisstakeholdermappingreportactorsshouldconsideredarangeofapproachestheymaytake(orsupportotherstotake)toaddresshatespeechandassociatedviolence.
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
Consideringtherangeofdirectapproachesandindirectapproachesinthisreport,actorsmayplanmorecomprehensive,coordinatedandstrategiceffortstocounterhatespeech.
Recommendations
Generalrecommendations
1.SupportcybersecurityforactorscounteringhatespeechAsonlinesecurityisanissueforthevastmajoritygroupsinvolvedindatacollectionprocessforthisstakeholdermappingandmanygroupshavebeentargetsofcyber-attack,anytechnicalsupporttoenhancethecybersecuritycompetencyofcivilsocietygroupswouldbeofgreatvalue.Trainingandtechnicalsupportinthisareawouldbeeffectiveandwellreceived.
2.Developashareddefinitionofhatespeech,dangerousspeech&associatedtermsIftherewereashareddefinitionofhatespeechanddangerousspeechamongstcivilsocietyactorsitwouldenhancetheirabilityforcoordinationandcollaboration.Eventheprocessofcreatingashareddefinitionisanopportunityforcollaborationandindeednecessary.Ifanyactorsweretotaketheinitiativetofacilitateacollaborativeandparticipatoryprocessthatdiversecivilsocietyactorsmayagreeonashareddefinitionofhatespeech,dangerousspeechandassociatedtermsitwouldenhancetheabilityofallactorsworkingtocounterhatespeechtocoordinatetheiractionsanddevelopcollaborativestrategies.
3.ProduceahatespeechfocusedconflictanalysisProducingahatespeechfocusedconflictanalysisthatcouldbesharedamongstkeyactorsworkingtocounterhatespeechwouldsupporttheirabilitytodevelopstrategicprojectsandactivities.Itwouldfurtherpromotetheirabilitytocoordinateandactwithamorecohesivestrategyacrossorganizations.Periodicupdateswouldbeneeded.
4.Create/promoteopportunitiesforformalandinformalcollaborationEventsandactivitiesthatbringdiversegroupstogetherwhoshareaimsofpromotinginterfaithharmony,counteringhatespeechandproducingpeacespeechwouldenhancetheabilityofactorscounteringhatespeechtocomeupwithinnovativeandstrategicinterventions.Theaimandutilityofcollaborationwouldbetoproducenewideasandapproachestocounterhatespeechaswellasformulatecollaborativestrategiesforaction.
5.Create/promotemechanismsandactivitiesthatenhancecoordinationPromotingmechanismsformorecoordinatedactionwillenhancetheabilityofallactorsinvolvedineffortstocounterhatespeech.Further,eventsandactivitiesthatbringdiverseactorscounteringhatespeechtogetherallowgroupstobothformallyandinformallycoordinatetheiractions.Somerespondentsfurtherrecommendedinvestmentinonlinecoordinationmechanisms(privateservers)forcounteringhatespeech,newsverification,andrumormitigation.
6.Supportstrategicplanning/MonitoringandEvaluationcapacityofactorscounteringhatespeechNotingthatcivilsocietygroupstakingawiderangeofstrategiesandapproachestocounterhatespeechstrugglewithcreatingpracticalmonitoringandevaluationsystemsandtoolsbothtodemonstratetheirresultsandtoproducelearningthatwillincreasetheeffectivenessoftheirinterventions,anymonitoringandevaluatingskillstrainingandsupportprovidedtotheseactorswouldbeofgreatvalue.Actorsintendingtosupportcivilsocietygroupsinthiswayshouldrecognizethattheneedsofgrassrootsactorsareoftendifferentfrommoredevelopedorganizationsoperatingnationalprograms.Someorganizationsoperatewithfewstaffmemberswhileothershavededicatedmonitoringandevaluationpersonnel.Actorsconductingmonitoring
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected] 13
andevaluationskillstrainingandsupportshouldrecognizeuniqueneedsofdiversecivilsocietygroupsandadapttheirinterventionsaccordingly.Underthesameprojectasthisstakeholdermappingresearch,SearchforCommonGroundhasbeenworkingwithanumberofkeyactorsinthesectortodeveloptheMyanmarImpactToolkittosupportorganizationstomonitorandevaluatetheircounterhatespeechinitiatives.Thistoolkitwillbepublishedsoonanddisseminatedwidely.
7.InvitemorediversestakeholderstotechnicalandcapacitybuildingactivitiesRecognizingthatmanygrassrootsactorsandothercivilsocietygroupsaroundthecountryhavemotivationbutlackcapacityinanumberofareas,invitingmorediversestakeholderstocapacitybuildingactivitieswouldincreasethereachofeffortstocounterhatespeech.Morediverseinvolvementwouldalsocontributeadditionaluniqueandcreativeinterventionsintothenationaleffortstocounterhatespeech.
Recommendationstoenhanceeffectivenessofhatespeechmonitoringandresponse
8.EstablishacoordinationmechanismforhatespeechmonitoringandresponseInreviewofexistingcoordinationmechanisms,itisapparentthattherecurrentlyexistsnocoordinationmechanismforactorsinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoringandresponse.Furthermore,itwasclearfromrespondentsduringdatacollectionthatthisisamajorgapforthoseinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoringandresponse.Ifanyactorstookinitiativetoestablishacoordinationmechanismforactorsinvolvedinhatespeechmonitoringandresponseitwouldhaveapositivecontributiontooveralleffortsinthisarea.
9.MaphatespeechactorsMappingconflictactorsandproducingadocumentsharedamongstkeyorganizationsmonitoringhatespeechwouldhelpsupportcoordinatedhatespeechmonitoringacrossorganizations,whilereducinggapsandincreasingeffectivenessoftheirwork.WhilenoformalstudyhasbeendonetoclearlyidentifyspecificFacebookpagespromotinghatespeech,ahatespeechmappingactivitycouldbeusedtopromotemorecohesiveandefficienthatespeechmonitoringandresponse.Anactivitysuchashatespeechmappingcouldbeincludedinahatespeechfocusedconflictanalysisorconductedseparatelyanalyzingactors,strategiesandmessages/narratives.Periodicupdateswouldbeneeded.
10.SupportthedevelopmentofaBurmeselanguagehatespeechlexiconIfalexiconofhatespeechtermsandphraseswereproduced(withwideparticipation),itwouldbeeasierforindividualgroupstotrackandmonitorhatespeech,tocoordinateeffortstotrackhatespeech,tomeasurechangeinlevelsofhatespeechovertimeandtoproducesoftwaretoautomatetheprocessoftrackinghatespeech.
Aprerequisitetothiswouldbethecreationofshareddefinitionsofhatespeech,dangerousspeechandassociatedterms.OnceshareddefinitionsexistacollectiveoforganizationscouldfeasiblymoveforwardtotheproductionofaBurmeselanguagehatespeechlexicon.SuchalexiconcouldbemadeupofdocumentsfromBindezandnumerousorganizationsworkingtomonitorhatespeechwhoalreadyhaveexistinghatespeechtermscodedanddocumented.Thehatespeechlexiconwouldhelpactorstodevelopauniversalcodingsystemthatwouldlaythefoundationforhatespeechtrackingsoftware(recommendation10)
11.MakesoftwarefortrackinghatespeechfullyoperationalIfawell-developedandqualitylexiconofhatespeechwordsandphraseswereproduced,thenleadingorganizationscouldcollaboratewithBindeztomakeBindezInsightsfullyoperational.Notethatfurtherworkshouldnotbeconductedtodevelopthissoftwareuntilashareddefinitionofhate
PreparedbyconsultantTaylorO’Connor:[email protected]
speechanddangerousspeechamongstactorsworkingtocounterhatespeech(recommendation2),andahatespeechlexiconiscomplete(recommendation9).AutomatedhatespeechmonitoringwithanupdatedBindezInsightsappwouldbemoreeffective,andusefulforhatespeechmonitoring,M&Eandmeasuringlong-termchangesinhatespeech.
Recommendationstopromotestrategicpeacemediaandcountermessaging
12.SupporttargetedtechnicalskillstrainingforconductingsocialmediacampaignsAsperrecognizedlowcapacityintechnicalskillsforleveragingsocialmediatocounterhatespeech,supportshouldbeprovidedtooffertrainingtolocalorganizationsseekingtodevelopsocialmediamessagingandbuildsocialmediacampaigns.Workshopsandtrainingsingraphics,analytics,videoproduction/editing,techniquestoboostcontentviewership,messaging/counter-messagingandotherthemesmaybeconsidered.
13.Supportcapacitydevelopmentinpeacebuildingandcounter-messagingConductingtrainingswithcivilsocietygroupstodeveloptheirtechnicalcapacityinpeacebuildingstrategyandcountermessagingwillhelpcampaignstodevelopinnovativepeacemediaandstrategiccounter-messagingcampaigns.ItwouldbeusefultoincludeworkshopsabouthowbesttodealwithhatespeechattacksfloodingtheirFacebookposts,asthisisanissueallgroupsdealwith.
14.InvolvediversestakeholdersascounterhatespeechmessengersAskeyactorsinvolvedinproducingandspreadinghatespeecharemonksandpoliticalleaders,extraeffortshouldbegiventoinvolvingmonksandpoliticalleadersininitiativesproducingandsharingcountermessages.Actorsinvolvedinproducingpeacemediaandcountermessagingshouldfurtherconsiderapproachestoincludetheinvolvementofculturaliconsandindividualsformerlyinvolvedingroupspromotinghatespeechtodelivermessages.Involvingculturaliconssuchasartists,musicians,mediapersonalities,comedians,bloggers,personsofinfluenceandotherscanhaveaprofoundpositiveinfluenceonculturalperceptions,normsandbehaviorswhileinvolvingthoseformerlyassociatedwithgroupspromotinghatespeechensuresmessageshavestrongerinfluenceonthosecurrentlyinvolvedinsuchgroups.