DRC: ensuring freedom of expression for marginalised groups

The right to receive information and to communicate in Democratic Republic of Congo is guaranteed by the Press Law No. 96/002 of June 22, 1996 in Article 8: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Freedom of opinion and expression entails the right to inform, be informed, to have opinions, feelings and communicate without barriers, whatever the medium, subject to compliance law, public order, rights of others and good manners.”

However a recent DRC discussion paper on violence against women and ICTs and a survey of civil society organisations and media professionals in Kinshasa in August 2009 revealed the problems of freedom of expression for women’s rights activists and human rights defenders. Both the paper and survey form part of a project being implemented by the Association for Progressive Communications Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) to strengthen women’s use of ICTs to stop VAW.

On the one hand, women’s rights defenders are harassed, threatened and sometimes kidnapped or sometimes murdered. Those who work in post- conflict areas and are accompanying abused women to complain are the targets of abusers. Several testimonies of relocation women’s rights activists were cited during the national strategy workshop in Kinshasa. , an organisation committed to defending the rights of media professionals, provides information on threats against journalists.

On the other hand, marginalised groups are ignored in the allocation of resources and benefits of technology. They are less likely to have access to traditional media. In particular, the realities of women living with HIV/AIDS, indigenous women, women living with disabilities, rural women and LGBTI organisations who work on sensitive issues such as sexual rights and abortion rights are not present in the media. Most media coverage is concentrated in cities.

One of the speakers identified some gender issues and problems encountered by women in the media in DRC. Sometimes the language used in the media is discriminatory, or gives a fatalistic view. A sample was taken from an article in a newspaper published in the DRC that trivialises the suffering of a woman who was raped.

Thanks to information and communication technologies (ICTs), some of these cases have been documented and disseminated to the international community through alerts and press releases on discussion lists on the internet.
During the workshop, participants discussed the contribution of ICTs in enhancing freedom of expression for marginalised groups whose voices are often not heard. The various possibilities to use citizen media, blogging anonymously, podcasting and others were cited as well as the use of local languages to communicate. ICTs offer more interactivity between content producers and audience. This feedback can be done in different ways: via SMS, phone calls, emails, comments on blogs and others.

However, the use of ICT tools to ensure freedom of expression for marginalised groups will be a reality only if certain conditions are met. They should be safe spaces for communication, including the possibility of hosting websites that could be blocked elsewhere.

Moreover, one of the obstacles to the expression of women and girls in the country is the weight of religion, where women often must remain silent and not speak in the presence of men. Some women participants agreed that it was sometimes difficult to educate women about their rights as they keep referring to religious documents. Participants suggested the need in such situations of working with a core team of champions who are in groups or choirs where women can meet and discuss.

As long as radio and television channel coverage is conditioned by the interviewee paying a fee, marginalized groups will continue to be excluded from media. Participants thought community radios should be encouraged, as they are closer to communities and different from private channels that have primarily commercial purposes.

The benefits of ICTs will be a reality for marginalised groups if the projects undertaken meet their training needs and encourage access to affordable ICT equipment. If ICT-related projects fail to take account of marginalised groups, they will create other forms of exclusion.