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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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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


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.

key findings and recommendations: takeholder mapping of … · speech offline and have persons on...

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