CIVICUS Voices

Protest is a fundamental right, but around the world, it’s increasingly under surveillance. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices, we examine how governments are using facial recognition, geolocation tracking, and social media monitoring to watch, intimidate, and silence dissent. From Hong Kong to South Africa, the UK to Iran, surveillance technologies are reshaping the risks of protest and threatenin...

Music has long been a powerful tool for protest and today, it’s helping mobilise movements for social and climate justice around the world. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices , we explore how artists and fans are using sound, rhythm, and digital platforms to challenge injustice and inspire action. From Puerto Rico’s bomba traditions to South Korea’s K pop, music is amplifying resistance and connect...

Disability rights laws promise inclusion, but lived experiences tell a different story. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices, we explore the fight for disability justice in India and Nigeria, where activists are challenging exclusion, stigma, and broken promises. Despite progressive laws, people with disabilities continue to face inaccessible infrastructure, digital divides, and systemic discriminati...

Behind the glossy storefronts and online sales of fast fashion lies a brutal reality: many garment workers face exploitation, repression, and unsafe conditions. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices , we uncover the human cost of fashion in Cambodia and Bangladesh, where workers, many of them women, are rising up against poverty wages, union-busting, and violent crackdowns. What does it take to demand...

Housing is more than shelter, it’s a human right. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices , we explore the global housing crisis through the lens of protest and resistance. From mass evictions in Brazil to anti-tourism marches in Spain, communities are rising up to reclaim their cities and demand dignified, affordable housing. What’s fueling displacement in places like Barcelona and São Paulo? How are f...

Electricity is a basic need, but for many, it’s a daily struggle. In this episode of CIVICUS Voices , we examine how energy protests in South Africa and Puerto Rico have become powerful expressions of resistance against inequality, corruption, and environmental injustice. What happens when governments fail to deliver reliable power? And how are communities organising to demand energy access? Guest...

Summary   Doctors, the backbone of any healthcare system, are often at the forefront of advocating for change. In this podcast episode, we delve into recent and ongoing doctors’ protests and medical crisis in Kenya, and the UK. Why are doctors protesting? Are there any ethical implications for protesting and striking? What governments need to prioritize to respond to their grievances?  Guests  Ste...

Summary  From the rise of social media to the advent of Artificial Intelligence, these technologies have revolutionized how protest movements are organized and how voices are heard. Yet, with increased surveillance and stricter laws, the digital battleground is complex.  This episode covers how the digital realm has opened up new frontiers for activism: what are the opportunities and challenges fo...

Summary  Do you know what is the difference between protests and riots? In this episode, we delve into two examples of antidemocratic riots in the Brazilian Supreme Court in 2023 and the Capitol in the US in 2021, to explain how they differ from peaceful protests. As 2024 is the biggest election year so far, at least 65 countries will go to the polls, political results unsatisfaction can lead to r...

Summary  This episode delves into the complexities of protesting in countries where drug trafficking significantly impacts governance and civil liberties, as Honduras and Ecuador. In a number of countries across Latin America, the entanglement of political instability and narcotic economies often results in precarious conditions for activists.  States embroiled in battles against drug cartels face...

Summary  In this episode, we give tips to stay safe while protesting. What are some safety recommendations for before, during and after a march or protest? Can you lose your job or get expelled from your university for attending a protest? What happens when you protest in a country that restrict civic freedoms?  Guests:  Michael Wrase, a professor of public law and a constitutional law expert at t...

Protests work because they disrupt the status quo and force those in power to confront uncomfortable truths. They are a direct challenge to injustice, showing that people will not be silenced or ignored. When people take to the streets, they send a clear message: change is not just desired, it's demanded. To kick off the fourth season of CIVICUS Voices, we will be sharing successful examples...

The last thing students and their parents should be worrying about is whether children will be safe while attending school, and yet school shootings and attacks are a real threat around the world. Bruno Langeani, a project manager at the Instituto Sou da Paz, helps us understand the trends and nuances of school violence in Brazil, and what can really make a change.  Vuk Cvetković us a Serbian high...

Safe and accessible drinking water is a crucial right that sadly continues to be threatened in different ways for communities around the work. So, it’s no surprise that access to water is frequently a protest demand, from Ethiopia to the United States.  We speak to Alana Potter the global coordinator of EndWaterPoverty at WaterAid to give us an international perspective. Faeza Meyer, a community o...

Russia’s war against Ukraine has taken centre stage in headlines and discussions over the last year, yet a variety of conflicts continue internationally, from Ethiopia to Palestine.  Since this season of CIVICUS Voices looks particularly at protests, this episode looks at how to mobilise and campaign in the middle of conflict and war.  We speak to Polina Kurakina from OVD-Info, an organisation tra...

The global cost-of-living crisis has been met with a crackdown on the rights of working people in every region of the world, and this year has seen the violations of workers rights reach record highs. We continue this season by looking at workers' rights protests and mobilisations from across the world that have brought about real change, with a special focus on migrants, who are among the mo...

Significant strides have been made across the globe in recognising and upholding the rights of sexual minorities, but despite these successes, the past year has also seen major setbacks when it comes to LGBTQI+ rights. This episode talks to human rights defenders from across the African continent, where anti-rights sentiments and regressive legislation is gaining ground. We talk to Executive Direc...

Freedom of peaceful assembly is a fundamental right exercised around the world, especially where we see democracies backsliding, governments failing to listen to the people, and amid growing anti-rights backlash. To kick of this season we look at what has been happening in the last year. Marianna Belalba Barreto leads the Civic Space Research team at CIVICUS and tracks civic space globally.  Then...

At the beginning of 2022, there were more than 27 million refugees worldwide, and their right to protest is often limited or repressed.  Nadia Hardman, a researcher in the Refugee and Migrants Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, speaks to us about these challenges.  Later, Abdul Aziz Muhamat shares his story as a Sudanese refugee who became an advocate for refugee rights while under long-term d...

When there has been a coup d’état in a country, the protests surrounding this regime-change are often critical but difficult.  In this episode, we look at how this works, through the example of Myanmar, where the military junta took over control from the democratically elected ruling party in 2021. Thinzar Shunlei Yi, the advocacy coordinator at the Action Committee for Democracy Development speak...

The fight for sexual and reproductive health and rights is being waged in countries around the world, as people seek to access legal and affordable reproductive health care services, like contraception, sex education, safe pregnancies, and abortions.  In this episode, we speak to Justyna Wydrzyńska, from the Polish group Aborcyjny Dream Team (ADT). Justyna is the first pro-choice activist in Europ...

There are over one billion young people between the ages of 15 and 24 worldwide, but their voices are often left out in policy spaces and in decision-making. Youth-led movements are an important part of civil society, and key in motivating for change that will affect generations to come. In this episode, Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi, who is involved with HIVE Pakistan, describes how youth activism can flo...

Protesting is particularly difficult if you live in a country where your right to protest is limited in your actions and opinions. The authorities and governments of closed or repressed countries do everything in their power to curtail the right of its citizens to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: internet shutdowns, restrictive legislation, violence, and unfair arrests. So how do people living in the...

This second season of CIVICUS Voices focusses on the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. We kick it off by discussing the basics of protesting: Protesting 101. Peaceful Assembly is an international fundamental right and it comes in many different forms that have evolved with time and technology.  Luciana Pol, from the Center for Legal and Social Studies in Argentina, explains why this right is so import...

We're back! Listen to the trailer of the second season of CIVICUS Voices, hosted by Aarti Narsee. This season will be focused on the right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. Subscribe now to get notified every time a new episode is published.