Check out the list of breakout sessions open to the public for the last day of the DRAPAC23 Assembly on May 26. The panels and talks, roundtables and discussions, workshops, and other sessions below have been shared with the consent of the organisers.
To join these sessions, register and complete the peer verification process on drapac.engagemedia.org. Only attendees who have been verified will have access to the full DRAPAC23 programme and schedule. For Cinemata Big Screen sessions, check out the film screenings and talkback sessions here.
All times are in UTC+7.
Panels and Talks
Defaming criticism: the use of defamation laws to silence voices
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 12:30-13:45
Organiser: Digital Rights Foundation
Speakers:
- Shambhawi, Body and Data
- Tanveer, Mondoroo
There has been an increase in the development and use of defamation laws in the APAC region over the past few years and it seems all have something in common: they are being used to silence critical voices, especially journalists, human rights defenders, and political opponents. This session is meant to gather people advocating against the draconian use of these laws to explore the problematic language and use of these laws, what has been done up until now to counter the misuse of the laws by authorities, and what more can be done. The purpose of the session is to move beyond the isolation and learn from neighbouring countries in order to practice the democratic right to free speech, as well as analyze the less sinister aspects of the law.
Exploring bridges between the digital rights movement in Asia- Pacific and community networks
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 14:00-15:00
Organiser: Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Speakers:
- Pavitra Ramanujan, Asia Regional Coordinator, Association for Progressive Communications
- Damar Juniarto, SafeNet
- Asad Baig, Mediamatters
- Ritu Srivastava, Jadeite Soultions, India
- Ressa Ria Lestari (Icha), Common Room Networks, Indonesia
In the current times, connectivity has come to have a new meaning that focuses more on meaningful connectivity that unlocks the full potential of internet access. There is an urgent need to not only bridge the digital divide, but also bridge the other social divides of gender, societal class and caste. In Asia-Pacific, internet penetration through traditional channels of state and private Internet Service Providers (ISPs) remains low due to the lack of digital infrastructure (such as network towers, backhaul connectivity and backbone fibre, among others) and the dynamic, low demand in rural and remote regions. Hence, access is still a distant dream. Against this backdrop, there have been innovative ways by which connectivity is created based on communities addressing their own communication needs. These “community” networks create common spaces for digital rights whether offline or online and juxtapose them alongside justice, equality and inclusion.
Roundtables and Discussions
A New Era of Digital Health and Health Data Justice: Prioritising Youth Rights and Wellbeing
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 11:00-12:30
Organiser: Young Experts: Tech for Health
Speakers:
- Neira Budiono, Young Experts: Tech for Health
- Shelani Palihawadana, Young Experts: Tech for Health
Young people, who are often early adopters of technology, have a critical role to play in shaping the digital health agenda. This session will explore the importance of health data justice and meaningful youth engagement in digital health. We will discuss the ways in which digital health technologies impact young people’s health and well-being, and examine strategies for ensuring that young people’s rights are respected in the collection, use, and sharing of health data, including introducing the Health Data Principles. We will also explore the role of youth in shaping digital health policies and practices, and highlight examples of successful youth-led initiatives. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges of digital health, and practical strategies for engaging young people in this important conversation.
Queering Social Media
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 11:00-12:30
Organiser: The Bachchao Project
Speakers:
- Chinmayi SK, The Bachchao Project
- Vasundhra Kaul (V), The Bachchao Project
Navigating the digital world as part of the LGBTQIA+ community can be exciting yet challenging. In this session, we will discuss strategies community members use across online social spaces, and what a queer-friendly social media platforms could look like.
Creating Interconnected Civil Society between Southeast Asia and Taiwan in Response to the Trend of Shrinking Civic Space
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 14:30-16:00
Organiser: Asia Citizen Future Association
Speakers:
- Leah Lin, Executive Director, Asia Citizen Future Association
- Doris Yang, Researcher, Asia Citizen Future Association
Governments in the region take various tactics and restrictive measures to intimidate activists and cause the closing of civic space in the region. However, such flagrant repression does not stop civil society from its activism. In this session, we intend to navigate how CSOs and human rights activists in the region change their strategies, including tapping into the online/virtual civic space, to continue their work despite the threats from expanding authoritarianism. ACFA also will share our findings on our current research on Taiwan’s civic space to see whether cross-subregional collaboration could bring changes.
Strategies for Resistance in Eroding Digital Spaces in Southeast Asia
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 14:30-16:00
Organiser: Access Now
Speakers: Golda Benjamin
Across Southeast Asia, governments are increasingly introducing and implementing rules to regulate online behaviour, but in the process are assaulting freedoms of expression, association, and other fundamental rights. While digital spaces allow activists and advocates to advocate effectively, often with fewer resources required than physical interventions, restrictive laws however have severely limited what people can say online and how they can say it. This session will bring together grassroots activists to share their experiences and reflect on strategies that have or are critical to continuing the work within the context of eroding digital spaces in Asia. They will also highlight the most concerning threats to their work and attempt to identify the support needed from fellow activists and the global community.
Workshops
Creating Gender-Sensitive Online Platforms: What are these and how to build one
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 11:00-12:00
Organiser: IDEALS Inc.
Speakers:
- Atty. Artkario Bian Villanueva
- Atty. Gail Ann Diola
This is a workshop session where the speaker(s) will share basic concepts about gender and gender sensitivity in general, how these concepts facilitated their online legal services model, how it was built, the presentation of data it gathered, and how it can be reproduced and operated with the goal of maintaining its gender-sensitive approach.
Understanding Human Rights Due Diligence Across the Tech Stack
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 11:00-13:00
Organiser: Global Network Initiative
Speaker: Elonnai Hickok, Managing Director, Global Network Initiative
As the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights make clear, businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights in their activities and throughout their value chains. Under the Action Coalition for Responsible Technology, part of the Danish Government’s Tech for Democracy Initiative, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), Global Network Initiative (GNI), the OHCHR Business and Technology Project – B-tech, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), have developed several resources to support more rights respective decision making across the digital ecosystem. A central resource is the “Across the Stack Human Rights Due Diligence Tool,” developed by GNI and BSR, which provides a broad mapping of the technology ecosystem in order to identify relevant overlaps and intersections between different technologies and actors and help identify and address high-level human rights issues and due diligence “questions”. The tool was inspired by the understanding that technology and human rights challenges are system-wide, not company-specific, and industry actors may need to take coordinated action to address a given risk or impact.
Community radio that emerged after the Burmese coup: The Revolutionary radio
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 12:15-13:45
Speaker: Hayman May Hinn Si
Digital rights and freedom of expression have decreased in Myanmar after the coup. At the same time, the role of community radio has become important due to the lack of access to the Internet. The emergence of community radios and their importance to the revolution; their experiences; knowledge, and views will be discussed with attendees.
Tisya Hustisya: Digital Rights in Advancing Women’s Rights
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 12:45-14:15
Organiser: IDEALS Inc.
Speakers:
- Atty. Jonnah Marie Morado (lead)
- Ms. Jeyra Marie Morallo (support)
- Atty. Artkario Bian Villanueva
- Atty. Gail Ann Diola
This is a workshop session where the speaker will share key concepts, laws and jurisprudence in relation to women’s rights in the digital age under the Philippine legal system.
Rebuild Our Sisterhood to Hack OGBV and Reclaim Technology
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 14:00-16:00
Organiser: PurpleCode Collective
Speakers: Eni Puji Utami, PurpleCode Collective and OGBV TaskForce
This session is a summary of a workshop series on OGBV. Participants will share their knowledge and experiences when living with technology. We will map out the violence transmitted by technology, how to handle it, and how to build a support system. Anyone aged 15-25 years can join this session (limited to 30 people).
Adopting a Gender Lens in Promoting Digital Literacy and Digital Rights
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 14:30-16:30
Organiser: ONOW LLC
Speakers:
- Matt Wallace, Managing director of ONOW
- May Thinzar Aung, Director over content of ONOW
- New Sangsupa, Enterprise support coordinator of ONOW
- Nang Amy Htwe, Business support specialist of ONOW
The session will begin with a brief introduction to ONOW Myanmar and its work on promoting digital skills among women in peri-urban and rural areas. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the challenges faced by women in accessing digital skills and the benefits of adopting a gender lens in promoting digital literacy. ONOW will showcase its work with Thai and Myanmar diaspora business owners through USAID’s Digital Asia Accelerator, highlighting the importance of digital skills in promoting economic empowerment.
Other Sessions
DiscoTech: Experiences at the intersection of tech and environmental sustainability
Date and time: May 26, 2023, 13:15-16:15
Organiser: Pavitra Ramanujam, Association for Progressive Communications
Speaker: Pavitra Ramanujam, Association for Progressive Communications
A DiscoTech is a semi-formal event that mixes lightning talks with informal discussions in a social setting. The DiscoTech at the DRAPAC23 Assembly will focus on the movement supporting environmental sustainability and justice in Asia, and the impact of the internet and other digital technologies on their work and the environment. The session will host speakers from the region who will speak about various connected issues such as the impacts of climate disinformation, experiences of indigenous and marginalised communities fighting for climate justice, the sufficiency of policy frameworks related to impacts of technology on the environment, the need for infrastructures of care for HRDs and WHRDs advocating for environmental justice, and development of the feminist principles of the internet on the environment.
