Category: Special Report

The United States Deputy Under-Secretary of Labour for International Affairs Thea Lee dissected the child labour situation in Nigeria and around the world via an online briefing. Her response to a question by United States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU shows that Nigeria is failing its children by not meeting the international standards in critical areas such as the minimum age for work, prohibition of child trafficking, prohibition of commercial sexual exploitation, prohibition of using children in illicit activities as well as having a high out-of-school rate of approximately 10.5 million children, one of the highest in the world. Excerpts:

Research on Nigeria

We are pleased that the Nigerian government has validated both a national policy of child labour and a national action plan on the elimination of child labour, and the goal is to have a standardised policy and child labour action plan throughout the country.  And I think this is an important first step, but unfortunately, there is also a lot of work that still needs to be done.

In terms of international standards, I’m afraid Nigeria does not meet many of the international standards that we report on – the minimum age for work, prohibition of child trafficking, prohibition of commercial sexual exploitation, or prohibition of using children in illicit activities.  So, these are very important legal areas where more work needs to be done.

Some of the sectors where we have seen child labour in Nigeria include mining, domestic work, commercial sexual exploitation, and we see that children have been subjected to forced labour in begging, street vending, and domestic work.  And in terms of education, which of course is one of the key elements that we say that children need to be in school and not in the workplace, but Nigeria has a high out-of-school rate: approximately 10.5 million children, nearly one in three children in Nigeria, are out of school, and that is one of the highest in the world.

And with respect to law enforcement, which is of course the key element, we did not see enough emphasis, enough resources on labour and criminal law enforcement, including the existing protections that are on the books for children in the informal sector.  And one of the things that we talk to many countries about is the ability to conduct unannounced labour inspections.  The government has to be able to show up at a workplace without telling them ahead of time; that is a crucial element in a strong labour inspection system.  And making sure that labour inspectors have the ability to enact and collect penalties when they find violations. So those are – those are some of the – that’s the picture that we have in Nigeria.  So progress with respect to the national action plan, but much more needing to be done in terms of enforcement and legislation.

Child labour statistics

The new figures on global child labour came out recently last year from the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF, and the results were disturbing.  We saw that for the first time in two decades, child labour globally is rising, not falling.  And so between 2016 and 2020, global – the number of children in child labour globally increased from 152 million to 160 million.  And I’ll tell you something, which is that the entire 8 million increase in child labour was in sub-Saharan Africa.  And so that is a wake-up call.  This is a moment of crisis, a moment of urgency where we really need everybody – we need governments, we need the media, we need unions and business and civil society – to put our heads together and to be able to address this question.  And the other thing that makes it more urgent, too, is that those figures are through the beginning of 2020, and we know that COVID has actually made this problem much worse, that it has thrown families into poverty and it has disrupted economies and supply chains, and that has put many more children – especially the most vulnerable populations like migrant workers – at even heightened risk.

So these are the emergencies that we face here, and we know from our work at the U.S. Department of Labor that children workers and adult workers in forced labour are often in the shadows.  Many are out of reach of regulations.  They work in homes, in mines, or in fields that labour inspectors rarely visit and at the bottom end of global supply chains, far out of sight of the consumers who ultimately purchase their products.

So we need better data to be able to understand the problems and to be able to solve those problems, and that’s what we’re very proud of at the U.S. Labor Department and my little bureau, the International Labor Affairs Bureau, ILAB, that the reporting that we do on child labour and forced labour makes these unseen people visible; it exposes both the governments and the companies that are responsible for labour rights abuses.  We provide concrete policy recommendations for governments to enhance both social protection and create the conditions for decent work, which are key factors in combating both child labour and forced labour.

We know, for example, that we are not going to get children out of labor if their parents don’t have good jobs, if they don’t have the right to a union, if they don’t have decent pay, if they don’t have a safe and healthy workplace.  So we need to work on these problems together.  We need to put all our resources together.  And there is not a single silver bullet.  There is no one thing.  If it were easy, it would be done already.

And the U.S. government, we are using a mix of approaches.  We use our research and reporting, but we also use trade enforcement and monitoring.  We use technical assistance projects, and we have some very exciting projects going on in the African region, and we use multilateral engagement and labour diplomacy to address these issues.  And we know that when we look at global supply chains, being able to track what happens and where goods go through the global supply chain is a critical tool in the fight to end labour exploitation.  And this year, our work is – Congress, the U.S. Congress, has asked us to go – to delve deeper.  We have always put together lists every two years of goods that are made with child labour and forced labour around the world, but Congress wants us to look deeper to look at goods that are also made with inputs made with forced and child labour.  And so that is obviously a very expanded universe of products, but it is also essential to holding both companies and governments accountable.  And so we are working to use our trade agreements and new technologies to be able to track inputs made with child labour or forced labour.  And, for example, we’re looking at critical supply chains – like cocoa from West Africa; cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo; polysilicon from China, which is a key input into solar panels; and many others.

And one project I wanted to highlight:  In West Africa, we have funded some of the sector-specific child labour surveys, which gives us that information, the data that we need to be able to solve the problem, to document the scope and nature of child labour in specific sectors.  And we are funding projects to demonstrate to the cocoa industry actors that traceability is, in fact, possible.  And at the moment we have two projects – MATE MASIE and CACAO projects – that are piloting farm-to-cooperative traceability systems in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, respectively.

So we – the last thing I wanted to mention is a great new initiative that the Biden-Harris administration has launched: the M-POWER Initiative.  It’s called the Multilateral Partnership on Organising, Worker Empowerment, and Rights.  This is the U.S. Government’s largest commitment ever to securing free, independent, and democratic trade unions on a global scale, and we are coordinating with other governments to make sure that this effort can have the resources and the coordination it needs, and then also with philanthropic organisations.  So we have – the U.S. government has committed $124 million over the next two years to strengthen worker voice and worker power around the world.  And the philanthropic administration has – philanthropic organisations have thrown in another $100 million.  So this is a very significant effort.  We’re very proud of it.  We’re very excited about it.  We’re – one of the reasons that we’re here is to be able to talk to other governments and other international organisations about M-POWER because we want to bring more folks on board.

COVID and U.S. efforts to decrease the percentages of child labour in sub-Saharan Africa

Apparently, we’re not doing enough.  So I would just say that as a start, that more needs to be done.  I do think that the vaccination support has been helpful, and we hope that there will be more support going forward.

With respect to COVID, hopefully we are at a place where we are beginning to emerge slowly from the pandemic and to be able to make the changes.  I mean, one of the key things for us, of course, is as business ramps back up again, we need to make sure that we have taken on board the lessons of COVID, which is to say that worker protections and a safe workplace and the right of workers to organise and to bargain collectively are actually a key part of a safe return to work.  And I think we’ve seen that in the United States and we’ve seen it around the world that trying to shortcut, to jump over some of those things – to say, oh, we’re in a crisis, so we need to weaken worker protections or minimum wage or child labour enforcement – that is the wrong way to go.  Part of what we need to do is to understand that – well, I think what we saw in COVID is that the most vulnerable worker in society can bring all of us down.  If your people who are working in the meat-packing factory do not have protections, that will bring down that factory.  If people who are working in retail or in restaurants or in hospitality don’t have sick leave, they don’t have the ability to stay home when they have a cough, that will bring all of us down.

So I am hoping that governments all over – all over the world, and including in Africa – are taking on board those kinds of lessons.  And so with respect to child labor, we are focused on the most vulnerable workers, and this is what we see especially – there are definitely migration pressures.  We see that here; we see it all over the world; we see it in the United States.  And – sorry – when families migrate out of economic desperation, often the children fall out of school or they don’t have access to online school because they don’t have the technology and so on.  And so governments need to be especially protective of those people who are in transit, who are vulnerable because of language barriers, ethnic/religious barriers, those kinds of things.  And so that’s where we’re trying to focus some of our technical assistance during this period – the sort of COVID and post-COVID period.

Why child labour is still prevalent in the world

I think I would say the simple answer – why does it happen?  It happens because somebody is making money off of it.  And therefore, we need to make sure that we are not just talking; it’s not just a question of blah, blah, blah or exhortation.  Because we need to change the economic conditions around which unscrupulous companies or even governments who don’t care can benefit from violating human rights and children’s rights.  And I know at this conference the labour minister from the Bahamas at a session that I was on yesterday said child labour is a form of child abuse.  We should treat it that way, that these people are criminals.  If you have a company that says, well, children are cheap, children are docile, they’re not likely to form a union, they’re not likely to go out on strike, then that is wrong.  It’s wrong.

And in order to protect the good companies – and there are plenty of good companies that have high standards and that really want to be competing on a level playing field – we have to crack down on the bad players.  And governments, this is their job.  It is the job of governments to make sure that nobody is profiting from exploitation of children because this is a heinous crime.  And that’s the kind of commitment that we are seeing this week, and there is a frustration too, there is an impatience that I’m sensing from other people and I have it.  I have it myself.  I am impatient and frustrated.  I don’t want to see another 10 years of pledges and commitments and promises.

We need to take concrete actions, and that is why the U.S. Government under the Biden-Harris administration have what we call the worker-centered trade policy that we – this administration, Secretary Walsh, Ambassador Katherine Tai, who is our U.S. Trade Representative, have made very clear that we want our trade policy to support and strengthen workers’ rights and human rights.  We want to – access to the U.S. market is in jeopardy for companies or governments that are violative of child labor, of forced labor, of violations of freedom of association, collective bargaining, and discrimination in employment.  These are international labor standards.  Countries have committed to uphold those through the International Labor Organization.  But we need to use every tool at our disposal, including market access, including criminal prosecution, to make sure that we are not allowing unscrupulous actors to profit and benefit from violating these important protections.

The World Book and Copyright Day was recently celebrated around the globe. CHINAKA OKORO writes that the celebration is another reminder for policymakers in Nigeria to put in place robust initiatives that seek to birth a flourishing knowledge industry where authors’ copyrights are adequately protected

Mr Ikeoha Iheonyemetere is a popular figure at Okigwe Road car park, Owerri, Imo State. His popularity is not as a result of being a peaceable and God-fearing man. Rather, it was his notoriety. His presence evokes fear in the garage. His voice is law. Everything he does is irrevocable. He is unquestionable. The mere thought of Ike, as he is commonly called, puts fear in the hearts of his equally troublesome ocho passengers (touts) colleagues and traders in the park every day. They quake in fear anytime he is around at the park. Even Nwanyi di ya (the woman from whom he buys shots of ogogoro or paraga) every morning, is also afraid of the presence of Ike.

Whenever he arrived at the car park, he would tell Nwanyi di ya to, “give me two shots of ogwu iba, two of ogwu ukwu, two of ogwu avara and one of ogwu apa.” These he will take at a gulp. “I am now charged and ready for anything,” he would say. But besides his raw power, Ike is just another never-do-well, whose life sketches boldly the vagaries of poverty. He owes Nwanyi di ya an accumulated amount of N12, 500 for drinks he bought on credit. His horrid lifestyle affected his life as well as created a huge hole in his pocket.

This resulted in his family suffering from abject poverty. His eight children are malnourished, and his wife, Adaure, a walking cadaver. None of his eight children are in school first, because he simply couldn’t afford it, and secondly, because he couldn’t see the need or importance of education. He believed anyone could make it without education. But the lifestyle and impoverished state of his family gave a knock to his belief.

Ike and his family were a nuisance to the community. In a bid to prevent the kind of experience that Ike’s family throws up, which negates the value system of an authentic and organised society, the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) established the World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD).

How the World Book and Copyright Day evolved

The World Book and Copyright Day (WBCD) has its origin in Catalonia, Spain, where, on April 23, 1923, booksellers organised an event in honour of one of Spain’s most celebrated writers Miguel de Cervantes who was the author of Don Quixote and who died on that day.

It was on this ground that the UNESCO General Conference in Paris decided in 1995, that World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on April 23 every year to mark the Catalonian event. Again, April 23 is also a symbolic date for world literature. It is on this date in 1616 that Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors, such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejía Vallejo.

It was a natural choice for UNESCO’s General Conference to pay a worldwide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have advanced social and cultural progress of humanity.

This is the 25th anniversary of World Book Day. The theme of this year’s event is “You are a Reader.” The world over, there is a heightened commitment to promoting reading among children and adults. This may be for pleasure or serious academic endeavour. The contribution has a particular focus on reaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The day was instituted to promote reading and to encourage children and adults to explore the pleasure of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to embrace education which is a catalyst for human and societal development. So, every year, the book, which is a great factor in the knowledge industry, is commemorated the world over, as a way of drawing people’s attention to this great instrument of all-round development.

What exactly is the significance of World Book and Copyright Day? What impact(s) do books have on the socio-economic, political and cultural development of society? Again, what roles do books play in human capital development? The UNESCO established the World Book and Copyright Day in order to “promote reading, publishing and protection of intellectual property through copyright.”

Books, their values and knowledge dissemination

Experts have stressed the importance of books and reading. They noted that “books are those unique tools for expression; education and communication.” Books play a quintessential role in every student’s life by introducing them to a world of imagination, providing knowledge of the outside world, improving their reading, writing and speaking skills as well as boosting memory and intelligence.

Another reason that highlights the importance of books in our life is that books help in building our confidence. When we read a book, we get to learn about the struggles and hardships of various characters, experts have said. Sometimes, we even relate those situations to our personal lives. Understanding the situations of the characters of a book and how they overcome difficult times and challenges give you courage and confidence to deal with your problems. Also, a well-read person will always have more knowledge about various topics and is able to hold conversation over a multiplicity of subjects.

Another reason why books are important in the life of an individual is that reading books comes with a wide range of mental and physical benefits. Reading can expand a reader’s vocabulary and communication skills, which can help the reader interact better with people. Reading is an effective way of boosting memory and enhancing focus; just as reading books enhances empathy because when people engage with fictional characters and understand their situations. Having an empathetic attitude helps people to grow into a better person.

A good book has the power to change the way people think, talk and analyse things. There are numerous books written in several genres such as fiction, non-fiction, novels, drama, thriller, suspense, science-fiction, etc. Every book comes with its own unique perspective. If a person is an avid reader, the person will get to create his or her own perspective, one which will help him or her stand apart from others. Reading gives readers an advantage of analysing different environments, which pushes the minds to be observant. Books help in developing the presence of mind and observational skills, thus illuminating the importance of books in a reader’s life.

Books help children and adults to open up, to move beyond self-absorption and connect to other people. Books show the reader the inner workings of multiple perspectives and let the reader know there is more than one way to view the world. Books build connections and broaden readers’ capacity to empathise; they help readers to understand others.

Books are also packed with knowledge; they give life lessons, and they teach the individual about hardships, love, fear, and every little thing that is a part of life. Books have been here for centuries and contain the knowledge of the past, civilisations, and cultures. There are several wonderful reasons that signify the importance of books in the life of an individual and society.

Dating back in time, books have been said to be the most powerful factor in the dissemination of knowledge and the most effective means of preserving it. This is incontrovertible when individuals appreciate the fact that all the technological, economic, political, social, moral and cultural advancements, which countries of the world attained, were made possible by the knowledge derived from writing and reading books.

Experts have maintained that books help toward mastery of languages; they also enable one to think, reflect, form opinions, discuss to become mature and to make one respected. The more one reads, the more one stores in one’s mind life-changing principles. The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, went philosophical in her description of books.

“In these turbulent times, books embody the diversity of human ingenuity, giving shape to the wealth of human experience, expressing the search for meaning and expression we all share, that drive all societies forward. Books help weave humanity together as a single-family, holding a past in common, a history and heritage, to craft a destiny that is shared, where voices are heard in the great chorus of human aspiration,” Azoulay said.

Corroborating Azoulay’s views, Dr Clementina Owokade, one-time Deputy Registrar and Head of Research Division of the West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) at the Headquarters’ (Lagos) Office noted that “books have always played and will continue to play a very important role in individual’s lives, education and economy.”

Owokade maintained that “books are tools for learning, for sharing and updating knowledge. The real life-changing values that we try to impart to people in our schools and others come from books because they are the tools that challenge the way we think and help in moulding and remoulding us to develop a better worldview to see even old and familiar things from an entirely new and refreshing perspective. Books are unarguable means through which knowledge is shared and the values of tolerance, solidarity and dialogue can flourish.”

“Books are a veritable and unique instrument of culture, education, participation, communication and entertainment; they also help in shaping and maintaining the educational, cultural and economic fabric of our societies.”

Describing books as works of the mind protected by copyright, which enriches the intangible heritage of humanity, the former WAEC Chief noted that “books are a means of expression which live through language and in language. Every book is written, produced, exchanged, used and appreciated in a specific linguistic framework…”

For Prof. Ariri-Chidomere, one-time Head, Department of Old Testament Studies, the Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos, books are powerful means of external projection and can become an important factor in material well-being. In a chat, Prof. Ariri-Chidomere, stated that “whatever form they may take, from the most traditional to the most innovative, books offer an irreplaceable medium of information, critical reflection and education.

“Books help individuals to discover the pleasure of reading through which they gain a renewed respect for the immeasurable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity. By creating links among people from different eras and distinct backgrounds, books contribute immensely to the consolidation of a world community. As vectors of free speech, they further the cause of human rights. Books bring about the strengthening of inter-fertilisation of ideas in the interest of humanity.”

Books and reading are very important in the life of man. According to Ms Milagros del Corral, former Director of UNESCO’s Division of Creativity, Cultural Industries and Copyright and Head of the Organisation’s Publishing Office, reading means establishing an interactive dialogue with the virtual universe created by the author of a text: a universe of intellectual representations that differ according to the imagination of each reader.

Books, reading and human capital development

Establishing a link among books, reading and human development, Dr Owokade maintained that without books and reading, human life would be beastly. This indicates that books and reading are of seminal importance to human development. Reading books, therefore, plays a vital role in shaping the destiny of societies.

“In the circumstances, therefore, books and reading become the very essence of rapid development and progress of any society. The book and its twin reading also contribute to the peace and economic development of society with regard to peace, welfare, harmony and democracy. In sum, reading makes the human person,” she said.

Prof. Ariri-Chidomere said: “A society with a strong, vibrant reading culture is a society that can look to its future with confidence and pride.”

How government can protecting authors’ intellectual property and stimulate the knowledge industry

Experts believe Nigeria will realise her secure future if there is a genuine commitment to giving children quality education. Parents, guardians and teachers should show great commitment to the education of their children and wards. This is because quality education is vital to the general well-being of any society. The government should ensure that necessary infrastructure is provided in public schools critical infrastructures will include modern libraries that are stocked with modern books.

The government should appreciate the fact that education is not just literacy or the ability to read and write. It goes beyond that to be a situation in which an individual is given the ability to overcome the inhibiting factors of life and the ability to do things in a manner that is excellently different from an established norm or that which is not consistent with our own ideas and manner of doing things.

Experts posit that all through history, the book and other products of the creative mind have suffered greatly from the activities of those who reap from where they did not sow. So, to prevent the continued stealing of what experts refer to as intellectual properties, countries that make up the United Nations enacted a legal framework known as copyright which ensures and promotes book development.

According to Ariri-Chidomere, from its inception, the celebration of the World Book and Copyright Day has always been closely associated with an awareness of the importance of the moral and heritage protection afforded to works of the human spirit and their creators.

Validating Chidomere’s views, Owokade hinted that one of the main objectives of World Book and Copyright Day is “to promote the protection of written works through the use of Copyright. The day also provides an opportunity for the public to recognise the achievements and rights of authors, who have contributed immensely to the social and cultural progress of any society. Copyright protects the physical expression of ideas.”

Speaking passionately about the need to protect the rights of authors to their works, Prof. Chidomere said: “Since copyright is a form of intellectual property which gives the creator of an original work exclusive rights for a certain time period in relation to that work, including its publication, distribution  and adaptation, after which time the work is said to enter the public domain, the copyright law in Nigeria should further be strengthened to prevent the activities of pirates who deprive we authors of whatever financial gain that may accrue from their creative efforts.”

It’s no longer business as usual for pirates, says NCC

On the efforts of the Nigerian Copyright Commission to combat piracy and further protect the intellectual property rights of authors, the Director-General of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) John Asien, regretted that “the annual loss to piracy runs into billions of naira, leaving authors at the mercy of philanthropists when they need help.” He stated that the commission would focus more on the enforcement of copyright laws than being reactionary, even as he said that it would no longer be business as usual for pirates.

“For us at the commission, we are more than committed to focusing more on enforcement and we are going to do that in all nook and cranny of Nigeria. We are also going to ensure that more Nigerians imbibe the culture of reading. This is important because we notice that reading culture is dwindling seriously in our society. We must address this problem head-on  and that is a commitment from the NCC,” Mr Asien said.

As the international community marked World Book and Copyright Day, it is expected that Nigeria would take advantage of the day to sensitise Nigerians to the need to sustain interest in books and reading. The government should also encourage Nigerians with the ability to write to compose and write useful books. It should also liaise with publishers to churn out relevant books for distribution to schools to encourage reading.

To mark the World Press Freedom Day, United States Secretary of State Antony John Blinken dissected the global press in Washington, D.C. His conclusion was that there are profound threats to press freedom, reports United States Bureau Chief OLUKOREDE YISHAU.

Ned Price, the spokesperson at the Department of State, mounted the podium at the Foreign Press Centre in Washington, D.C., United States. An army of mask-wearing-cum-socially-distanced foreign correspondents sat in chairs facing him. Many others hooked on via Zoom.

It was Wednesday May 3, the first time the centre was holding an in-person press briefing in over two years – no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged the global economy and disrupted social orders in ways never seen in recent times. Price, who said it was notable that this first outing was to mark the World Press Freedom Day, introduced the speaker, Secretary of State Antony J Blinken.

Blinken said the World Press Freedom Day was a fitting occasion to reopen the centre. “Welcome back, everyone,” he said and began his remarks. The United States, he said, has a vital stake in promoting the right to freedom of expression, including a free press all over the world.  He added that the free flow of information, ideas, opinions, including dissenting ones, is essential to inclusive and tolerant societies.

“A vibrant independent press is a cornerstone for any healthy democracy.  At its core is the idea that information is a public good, crucial to everything we do, to every decision that we make.  And often we trust the press with providing that information.  It’s what helps citizens understand the events, the forces that are shaping their lives.  It allows people to engage meaningfully in the political and civic spheres of their communities, their nations, and the world,” Blinken said.

The Secretary of State said a free press is one of the most effective tools for advancing human rights, especially through documenting unjust working conditions, corrupt or failing public services, discrimination against women and marginalised groups, and abuse of security forces. Accurate reporting, he observed, shines a bright light on the parts of the societies that need fixing.  “That brings pressure to change, to form, as we say in the United States, a more perfect union,” he said.

He said this year’s World Press Freedom Day was at a time the exercise of freedom of expression, including freedom of the press, faces profound threats. “Some of these are old; some are new.  Threats that we, the United States Government, Department of State, all of us as citizens have an abiding interest in confronting, and doing so head on,” Blinken said.

The threats to press freedom

He reeled out examples of threats to freedom of expression: “Just last Thursday, April 28th, journalist Vera Hyrych was killed when the apartment that she was living in was struck by the Russian military in Kyiv.  Vera is one of 11 journalists killed in Ukraine this year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.  Many more have been wounded in conflict.  One is Fox News correspondent Ben Hall, who was seriously wounded when the car that he and his team were traveling in was struck by incoming fire on March 14th.  His cameraman, Pierre Zakrzewski, and his producer, Oleksandra Kuvshynova, [were] killed in this attack.

“And as this group knows in particular, the Kremlin’s war of aggression on Ukraine is just one of many conflicts around the globe where journalists are putting their lives on the line right now as we speak, as we gather, in order to report the news. In Burma this past January, journalist Pu Tuidim’s body was discovered two days after he was abducted alongside nine other people in Chin State.  In November, Yemeni journalist Rasha Abdullah al-Harazi and Mahmud al-Utmi, husband and wife, were driving together in Aden when a bomb attached to their car blew up.  Rasha, who was pregnant, was killed.  Mahmud survived and later told the UN Human Rights Council that he’d been threatened shortly before the attack by Houthis.”

He was not done with painting a grim picture of the threats: “Two hundred and ninety-three journalists were behind bars at the end of 2021.  That’s a new annual record, and this is according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.  The PRC continues to hold the highest number, imprisoning some 50 journalists, including eight from Hong Kong.

“Other governments use the threat of imprisonment and lawsuits to intimidate journalists.  In Afghanistan, the Taliban have systematically repressed the Afghan independent press, particularly women journalists and those working in rural areas.  According to a survey conducted at the end of 2021, 40 percent of independent media outlets in Afghanistan have closed since the Taliban takeover.”

He explained that when individual journalists are threatened, the effects reached far beyond their targets. “Some in the media start to self-censor.  Others flee.  Some stop reporting altogether.  And when repressive governments come after journalists, human rights defenders, labor leaders, others in civil society are usually not far behind,” he said.

He went on: “That was the message sent on April 7th, when an assailant attacked Russian editor and Nobel Prize winner Dmitry Muratov with red paint and acetone as he rode on a train outside of Moscow.  Just some months before, I had the privilege of being on a panel with Dmitry during the Summit for Democracy.  This attack, which U.S. intelligence assessed was the work of Russian intelligence, left Dmitry with chemical burns in his eyes, and sent a clear message to others considering criticising the Kremlin’s war of aggression against Ukraine.”

New techniques of repression

Blinken observed that governments were supplementing traditional forms of repression with new tactics to undermine press freedom.  These tactics, he said, include internet shutdowns or outright censorship. “Technology is being used not only to block journalists, but to watch them.  From 2020 to 2021, more than 30 reporters, editors, other media employees in El Salvador were hacked with the spyware Pegasus, according to an independent investigation – one of several countries where journalists, human rights defenders, and others in civil society have been targeted with this spyware.  Last year, the Biden Administration placed the foreign company that produces Pegasus – the NSO Group – on the Entity List, forbidding it from receiving U.S. exports, including technologies, and seriously affecting its operations,” he said.

United States’ counter strategy

The U.S. government, he said, is taking a wide range of actions to push back against this repression and to strengthen press freedom. “First, we are taking urgent steps to help protect journalists in conflict areas.  In Ukraine, for example, we’re equipping journalists with flak jackets, first aid kits, satellite phones.  We set up a press center in Lviv to help local and national Ukrainian media outlets continue their operations.  We’re also offering emergency aid and psychosocial support to journalists who bear the invisible wounds of reporting from war zones.  This work goes hand-in-hand with the Journalism Protection Platform that we announced at the Summit for Democracy a few months ago, which will provide at-risk journalists with training in digital and physical security, psychosocial care, and other forms of support.

“Second, we continue to raise the profile of cases of journalists who are being targeted for their work – using every platform and diplomatic engagement that we have.  Today and every day we think of American journalist Austin Tice, who has been held captive in Syria for nearly 10 years, a quarter of his life.  We will continue to pursue every avenue to secure his release.

“We’re rallying broader coalitions of countries to these efforts, such as the Media Freedom Coalition.  This is a group of more than 50 countries that share our commitment to press freedom as well as to the safety of journalists.  So, for example, when we call out Beijing for cracking down on independent media in Hong Kong, we’re doing it together with countries from every part of the world.  And we’re using targeted sanctions to impose costs on the perpetrators of such attacks, including new authorities we created like the Khashoggi Ban.

“Third, the United States is helping independent media in financial peril.  We’re providing direct financial assistance to at-risk outlets.  We’re working with business groups and the private sector to help them become more financially sustainable.  At the same time, we’re providing financial support to reporters and news organisations unfairly targeted with litigation for their critical reporting,” Blinken said.

Celebrating brave journalists

He paid homage to journalist defying the odds: “Journalists like Ko Swe Win, also I believe joining us, who leads one of Burma’s last remaining independent news sites, Myanmar Now, which continues to cover the widespread atrocities being committed against the Burmese people by the military – work Ko continues in spite of having previously spent seven years in prison for opposing military rule, three of them in solitary confinement.

“And journalists like Sevgil Musaeyava, joining us today from Ukraine, where she leads one of the country’s most widely read news sites, Ukrainska Pravda – work she continues even after her brother-in-law, documentarian and U.S. citizen Brent Renaud, was killed by Russian forces while reporting from Irpin on March 1st. ”

Beijing and the press

On the State Department’s Human Rights Report on Beijing trying to influence media outlets in Taiwan, he said Taiwan was quite literally on the frontlines of the PRC’s hybrid warfare, including disinformation and cyber-attacks.  These, he said, are designed to distort the information environment and democratic processes.  “So we’ve partnered with Taiwanese authorities on this, civil society organisations, to support independent, fact-based journalism, to try to build societal resilience to disinformation and other forms of foreign interference.  But it’s something that we look at very closely and that we continue to work on,” he said.