Strengthening Civic Space in a Polarised World
Despite significant successes by social justice activists, increased use of the law and criminal justice system to criminalise and stigmatise marginalised persons and voices has shrunk the civil society space across the world. Whether it is Indigenous communities, migrants, refugees, sexual and gender minorities, or people of colour, criminalisation negatively impacts historically disenfranchised communities in our societies. Governments increasingly use the law and criminal justice system to limit civic space.This workshop will highlight the advances in the 75 years of the UDHR and further seek to find universal solutions to the shrinking civic space, which risks undoing the wins of the UDHR and dismantling democratic institutions worldwide. The workshop will address ways to safeguard the right to freedom of association, assembly and expression.