See it, film it, change it: Training and supporting people using video for human rights

“In this age, when the mass media rest in fewer and fewer hands, we must have strong, vital, independent voices if we ever want to hear all the stories or seek justice. We have an incredible opportunity to change lives.” (Peter Gabriel – WITNESS co-founder)

One of the distinct characteristics of these times is that many people have access to devices that in previous days were limited to an elite or to experts. Many people have a camera in their pocket and many people are familiar with video recording technologies and methods, whether it is through a mobile phone, a pocket-sized digital camera, or their own laptops and tablets.

But having access to these tools to document and tell stories of abuse that we see happening around us doesn’t necessarily translate into a concrete change of those things around us that we don’t like. And in some cases, we end up unintentionally jeopardising or revictimising those who are in most danger and pain. All too often, we are not filming safely or effectively, and our videos don’t make a difference.

This is why the international organisation WITNESS trains and supports people using video in their fight for human rights.

See it. WITNESS trains and supports activists and citizens around the world to use video safely, ethically and effectively to expose human rights abuse and fight for human rights change.

Film it. Every day, activists and citizens risk their lives to expose the truth. WITNESS helps make sure their efforts aren’t in vain.

Change it. WITNESS is a leader of a global movement that uses video to create human rights change.

Their work

WITNESS identifies critical situations and teaches those affected by them the basics of video production, safe and ethical filming techniques, and advocacy strategies; it develops tools and apps to keep people safer; it advocates to technology companies to create change at the systems level; and it curates and helps draw attention to citizen footage of under-reported stories.

Critical and surge response: WITNESS responds to crisis situations around the globe by providing on-the-ground trainings, coordinating with local citizens and organisations, and making online resources available in multiple languages. Its aim is to help human rights defenders film more safely and effectively in dangerous and unpredictable environments.

Technology advocacy: The Systems Change team works to ensure the media, policy and technology landscapes allow video to realise its full potential as a human rights tool.

Video as evidence: WITNESS identifies ways for citizens to capture and preserve footage to improve the chances of it being used in the courtroom. Through tools, training, and advocacy efforts, it aims to help activists capture and use video as evidentiary material.

WITNESS Media Lab: The lab is dedicated to addressing the challenges of sourcing, verifying and contextualising eyewitness video to advance its use as a powerful tool for human rights documentation and advocacy.

Video archiving: WITNESS trains activists to archive and preserve their video so that human rights abuses cannot be denied or forgotten over time.

Training resources: WITNESS develops guides and toolkits appropriate for both individuals and organisations that are new to video, as well as experienced video advocacy activists who want to improve their existing skills.

Gender-based violence: WITNESS works on the issue of sexual and gender-based violence in situations of conflict and political repression. With partners, it co-produces videos that amplify the voices of survivors and demand policy change. It also develops tools and resources, like the guide to interviewing survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, to help journalists and organisations tell survivors’ stories respectfully.

Forced evictions: The Forced Evictions campaign works with underrepresented and at-risk communities to protect their rights to housing, land and livelihood. The campaign uses video to make communities’ stories heard in the push for accountability for forced evictions resulting from development and mega-events like the 2014 World Cup.

“What WITNESS does is create, support, and sustain a global network of people who use video as their tool, as their weapon. This network reminds us that we are not a single voice; we are not alone.” (Esra’a Al Shafei – Bahraini activist)

Some of their recent campaigns and projects include:

You can visit the WITNESS Library to download free resources for video activists, trainers and their allies. Includes video and PDF downloads of core WITNESS training materials and how-to guides. Materials are also available in Arabic, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

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