Communication as a Right: Digital Access & Inclusion

Cet abstract analyse comment la censure numérique et l'application abusive des lois sur la cybercriminalité deviennent des obstacles décisifs à l'accès équitable aux informations sur les Droits Sexuels et Reproductifs (DSR), notamment l'avortement sécurisé, en Afrique francophone. Ces restrictions en ligne intensifient les obstacles culturels et législatifs déjà existants, compromettant l'autonomie corporelle des femmes et fragilisant le travail des défenseur·e·s des droits. Face à cette réalité, la Task Force Média DSR Afrique francophone du Centre ODAS a organisé un webinaire intitulé « Liberté numérique et accès à l'avortement sécurisé ». L'objectif était d'analyser la répression numérique, comprendre ses mécanismes et co-construire des réponses adaptées. L'initiative s'inscrit dans une perspective SBCC, qui considère la communication comme un droit essentiel plutôt qu'une ressource soumise au contrôle institutionnel.
Le webinaire a exploré plusieurs questions : comment les lois de cybercriminalité servent-elles de leviers disciplinaires contre les activistes et journalistes ? Quels impacts la censure numérique produit-elle sur la circulation d'informations ? Comment renforcer la résilience des communautés face aux restrictions croissantes ?
Les échanges ont permis d'identifier des stratégies concrètes de plaidoyer numérique coordonné, d'outils de contournement sécurisés et de mobilisation de pratiques communautaires, réseaux locaux, solidarité féministe qui demeurent cruciales pour maintenir l'accès à des informations fiables, scientifiques et légitimes.
Les résultats soulignent que la défense de l'avortement sécurisé est intrinsèquement liée à la protection de la liberté numérique. Garantir l'équité en matière d'information implique de reconnaître la communication comme un droit fondamental et un pilier de justice sociale.

A rights-based approach to communication for development requires special consideration to ensure access to quality information services and communication opportunities at scale. This is all the more critical in contexts in which access to quality information/communication services is endemically low. Farmers in Uganda (and sub-Saharan Africa more generally) face significant barriers to exercise their information/communication rights and access quality advisory services. In-person extension suffers from a lack of officers, high transportation costs and biases related to gender, age and farm size. Digital advisory services present challenges due to connectivity, cost, gender, language and literacy. Farm Radio's Green Leaf approach to agricultural advisory services tackles two critical elements of a rights-based approach to information/communication: 1) Universal access at the first mile (ie rural, remote locations, local dialects); and 2) Sustainable service provision, ie services NOT dependent on charitable funding or short-term projects. Two years after its establishment via a public-private partnership (district extension offices and commercial radio stations), some 70 percent of Ugandan farmers have improved access to quality weekly agricultural advisory services. Among 5.3 million women/men farmers listening, 87% have increased their knowledge and 67% have trialed new agricultural practices. 28% report interacting with their local programs using their mobile phones. Now in a second phase of start-up funding by IKEA Foundation, although commercial revenues remain elusive, in-kind investments by government and radio stations have surpassed those of the Foundation and internal and external parties are optimistic about business development potential.

Under-represented community-based organizations (CBOs) often do powerful, locally led work yet remain digitally invisible-limiting their participation in public discourse, policy advocacy, and resource mobilization. As the SBCC and capacity-building partner to FHI 360's EpiC project (PEPFAR/USAID), VIVA Social Communications supported nine CBOs representing transgender persons, female sex workers, and PLHIV  to reclaim communication as a right to participation and justice, not a discretionary resource.
Through participatory communications engagement and field immersions, the initiative co-created each CBO's narrative and built an accessible, donor-ready communications stack-brand identity, websites, brochures, social channels-paired with hands-on training in digital storytelling, data use, and practical AI tools. Structured, multi-month handholding enabled teams to independently manage LinkedIn pages, websites, and campaign content-democratizing access to and control over technology.
The behavioral outcome was not just digital visibility but narrative power: communities shifted from being spoken for to speaking for themselves. Early results show improved confidence, visibility, and traction, underscoring that technology does not discriminate-it can enable inclusion when tools and skills are equitably shared.


This experience operationalizes "nothing about us, without us" and "leave no one behind" by positioning communication capacity-building as a social and behavior change process. It calls for SBCC programs to embed accompaniment, co-creation, and digital equity into design and budgeting-ensuring that marginalized groups control their own stories, leverage AI ethically, and participate fully in the digital public sphere.

This study tests whether transparency and salient communication of privacy and data-use policies build trust in digital platforms. Conducted in Edo State, Nigeria, during the 2024 Edo Digital Policy (EDPP) rollout, it targets young, first-time users on the DiCert education platform. A randomized control trial (RCT) with 240 secondary-school students examined how enhanced consent prompts, formatted privacy notices, and clear error-correction timelines affect trust, data-sharing willingness, and error responsiveness. Students were randomized into four privacy-message arms and two feedback-timeline arms. Quantitative outcomes showed the combined salience-and-transparency message increased data-sharing intent by 18 percentage points (p=0.026) and reinforced trust continuity (p=0.017). Qualitative think-aloud observations revealed users often missed errors without prompts and expressed frustration with indefinite timelines. The findings provide Nigeria's first subnational experimental evidence that deliberate design (leveraging simplification, present-bias mitigation, and goal-gradient cues) strengthens trust and equity. Results inform scalable, citizen-centred digital infrastructure, proving transparency is not just compliance but a trust multiplier for young users.