Explore every episode of the podcast 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 threatening civil liberties. What happens when the tools of repression become digital? And how can activists protect themselves in an era of biometric policing and mass data collection?

Guests

• Dr. Ilia Siatitsa, Programme Director and Senior Legal Officer at Privacy International, expert in global surveillance law and protest rights
• Michael Mo, Hong Kong activist in exile and founder of Hong Kong Scouts, a youth-focused pro-democracy organisation

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 connecting communities across borders. How does music help us heal, organise, and push back against colonialism, inequality, and environmental destruction?

Guests:

• Camille Alexandra Padilla Dalmau, Co-Founder of 9 Millones, independent journalist and creator of protest music from Puerto Rico
• Reiland Rabaka, Director of the Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, expert in hip hop, social justice, and the African diaspora
• Benjamin Whitehair, Executive Director of Calling All Crows, an organization that mobilizes the music community to address gender-based inequities and social justice issues

You can find CIVICUS online and on X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by Ester Pinheiro and the CIVICUS Team.

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 discrimination. How are disabled activists mobilising in hostile environments? What does dissent look like when public spaces and digital platforms remain out of reach? And why must lived experience be at the heart of disability rights movements?

Guests

• Arman Ali, Executive Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), India
• Oluwabukolami Omolara Badmus (Bukola), Disability Rights Activist, Disability Justice Project Fellow, and Feminist, Nigeria

You can find CIVICUS online and on X/Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by Ester Pinheiro and the CIVICUS Team.

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 fair pay and dignity in an industry built on speed and profit? And why are governments and corporations still failing to protect the rights of those who make our clothes?

Guests:

• Kalpona Akter, Labor Rights Activist and former garment worker, Bangladesh
• Aruna Kashyap, Associate Director, Economic Justice and Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
• Tola Moeun, Executive Director, Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, Cambodia
• Ineke Zeldenrust, International Coordinator, Clean Clothes Campaign

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 financial markets, tourism, and government inaction contributing to the crisis? And what does it mean to truly recognise housing as a human right?

Guests:

• Leilani Farha, Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Housing and Global Director of The Shift
• Simone Gatti, Executive Director of Fundo Fica, a nonprofit advocating for housing rights and public policy reform in São Paulo, Brazil

CIVICUS Voices is hosted by Ester Pinheiro and the CIVICUS Team.

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?

Guests:

• Yegeshni Moodley, Climate and Energy Senior Campaigner at Ground Work, South Africa
• Selena Feliciano, National Campaign Coordinator at Energy Democracy Project, Puerto Rico
• Ruth Santiago, Environmental and Community Lawyer, Salinas, Puerto Rico

CIVICUS Voices is hosted by Ester Pinheiro and the CIVICUS Team.

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 

Steve Ougo, Sexual and Reproductive Justice Activist, medical student working in youth health in Kenya

Sridhar Venkatapuram, Senior Lecturer in Global Health and Philosophy at King’s College London. He sits on the ethics committee of the British Medical Association (BMA)

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 for the future of protest? 

Guests: 

Clement Voule, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly 

Kumi Naidoo, prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist. Former head of Amnesty, Greenpeace and CIVICUS

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 riots. 

Guests

Roudabeh Kishi, the Chief Research Officer at the BDI - Bridging Divides Initiative at Princeton University. 

Leticia Cesarino, Brazilian researcher in Anthropology and author of the book ‘The world inside out: Truth and politics in the digital age’.

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 a dual challenge: maintaining public order and respecting the right to protest. Allegations of corruption at the highest levels can intensify public outcry, as seen when officials are implicated in drug and arms trafficking. So, how are citizens managing to protest amidst drug cartel state circumstances in Honduras and Ecuador? 

Guests 

Silvana Tapia, lawyer, doctor in socio-legal studies at the University of Birmingham. Her current project employs a feminist, anti-colonial, socio-legal approach. 

Nohelia Núñez, lawyer from Honduras who works with several women led organizations in the country as CLADEM.

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 the Berlin Social Science Center.

Omhle Ntshingila, Project Coordinator at Right2Protest movement in South Africa.

Recommendations: 

Know Your Rights: Protest guidebook & phonebook by CIVICUS. This guide covers important issues such as legal policing practices, accountability mechanisms for violations, as well as practical information on equipment and location considerations for peaceful assemblies. This guide is available in four languages: English, Spanish, French, Arabic. You can use the guide as an activist, at your organization, so spread the word!

If you need someone to reach out to in case you need support, there’s the Vuka Protest Support Phonebook, you can find various types of support from nearly 30 international and regional civil society organizations that can protect and elevate the impact of your protests. 

Guide on ‘Organizing a protest’ by Right2Protest and Action Takers

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 of how protests have been impacting society positively around the globe. 

Where protests have made a difference? From abortion rights in Latin America to Black Lives Matter in the US to the Tunisian Revolution, there are many success stories as a result of protest movements. 

Guests: 

Mariela Belski, Executive Director for Amnesty International Argentina and UN advisor in Argentina.

Layla Saleh, Researcher Director at Demos-Tunisia Democratic Sustainability Forum. 

Recommendations:  

Strategies for a sustainable protest by CIVICUS 

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 school student who works with the “I mi se pitamo” initiative and shares his views on how rare school shootings have mobilised tens of thousands to protest more broadly in that country. 

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 organiser at the African Water Commons Collective, shares her experiences from Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’ to now.

Later we catch up on the developments around persecuted Guapinol water defenders in Honduras from lawyer Edy Tábora, who is the director of the law firm Justicia para los Pueblos (Justice for the Peoples). 

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 tracking the rights to freedom of assembly and expression in Russia.

Oleksandra Matviichuk is a highly experienced Ukrainian human rights lawyer who leads the Centre for Civil Liberties.

Lastly, we hear what it is like to protest and mobilise in ongoing conflict from Nisreen Elsaim, who is a Sudanese youth climate activist.

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 most vulnerable of all workers.

In this episode, we speak to Lennon Ying Dah Wong, an activist fighting for the rights of migrant workers in Taiwan, where exploitative conditions are rampant.

We also talk to Eva Maria Jimenez Lamas from the Belgian trade union Confédération des Syndicats chrétiens (CSC). Eva assisted a group of undocumented domestic workers in making history when they lead their first ever strike in Brussels, Belgium. 

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 Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), Frank Mugisha, who is an openly gay activist in a country that recently passed what is widely considered the harshest anti-homosexuality laws in the world.

Also from Uganda, human rights lawyer Rose Wakikona explains the impact of these laws and their far-reaching implications for the rest of the region.

Finally, we’ll hear from Henry Wackam, who was forced to flee Cameroon because of his sexual orientation. Henry is the founder of Rainbow Refuge Africa, a network for LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers living in South Africa, where he now lives.  

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 we hear what it has been like to organise protests, with Ruki Fernando from Sri Lanka, where the economy crashed and a state of emergency was declared. 

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 detention at the Australian government detention centre on Manus Island.

You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by  Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.

Photos, source material and transcript are available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices/#episode6

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 speaks about the role of protests in the country, before Wai Hnin Pwint Thon from the Burma Campaign UK shares how she has been supporting the cause from abroad. You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  CIVICUS Voices is hosted by  Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.

Photos, source material and transcript are available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices/#episode5

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 Europe to have been charged with aiding someone in an abortion.

Later, we hear a success story from Argentina’s Green Wave, where activists pushed for the legalisation of abortion and won. Giselle Carino is the CEO of Fòs Feminista and has been a part of this activism for years.  You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  CIVICUS Voices is hosted by  Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.

Photos, source material and transcript available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices/#episode4

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 flourish. Later, former student activist and Wits Fees Must Fall leader Busisiwe Catherine Seabe from South Africa shares her experiences being on the ground.

You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.

Photos, source material and transcript available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices/#episode3

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 these repressed spaces go about mobilising and protesting?

In this episode, Nadim Nashif, the founder and executive director of 7amleh, the Arab Centre for Social Media Advancement, explains how Palestinians have developed creative forms of digital protests. 

Then, one of the organisers of the national strike in Colombia (el Paro Nacional), Sandra Sierra, shares her emotional and important experiences of protesting under pressure. 

You can access source material and full transcript of the episode on our website here. You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by  Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.
Photos, source material and transcript available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices/#episode2

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 important. 

Busisiwe Zasekhaya, the project coordinator at Right2Protest in South Africa describes the challenges protest-organisers face and how to overcome them. 

For an on-the-ground perspective, Abigail Freeman, the executive director of Alliance for Gender Justice and Human Rights, from Liberia shares her experience in organising protests. 

Head to the podcast webpage to navigate the resources and source material for this episode. You can find CIVICUS online and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. CIVICUS Voices is hosted by  Aarti Narsee and produced by Amal Atrakouti, Elna Schutz, Jamaine Krige, and the CIVICUS team.

Photos, source material and transcript available here: https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-center/resources/podcastcivicusvoices

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.

Over ten years ago, millions of people took to the streets in the Middle East and North Africa to demand justice, democracy and fundamental freedoms. This was an important moment for civil society, that has left a long and checkered legacy. 

We speak to Mozn Hassan, a human rights defender from Egypt,  who took part in the Egyptian revolution in 2011. She speaks to us about that time and how it has shaped the feminist movement. She is the founder of Nazra, a women’s rights organization, which is working to strengthen the Egyptian feminist movement and integrate feminism and gender awareness into politics and society. 

Next, we hear from Lilia Khazri,  a 21-year old social activist from Tunisia advocating gender equality, peacebuilding and youth empowerment. She is also a member of the CIVICUS Youth Action Team. She reflects on her current activism and the influence of the Arab Spring. 

The threats against activists continue till today. We talk to Sayed Yousif al-Muhafdha, is a Bahraini human rights defender, who lives in exile in Germany, about his arrest and detention, and how the trauma of the Arab Spring stays with him and his family. 

CIVICUS Voices is a podcast produced by CIVICUS and hosted by Aarti Narsee and Mawethu Nkosana. Our producer is Elna Schütz, and today’s content producers were Matthew Reading Smith, Silvia Puerto Aboy, and Samia Diri. 

Find out more on www.civicus.org or on social media under @CIVICUSAlliance.
Music in this podcast is One Night In Africa by John Bartmann under CC0 1.

The Covid-19 pandemic halted a lot of activity, giving the environment a brief reprieve, but with governments opening up economies again, climate change activism is more important than ever.

We start the show by discussing these trends with Inés Pousadela, who worked on CIVICUS's recent  State of Civil Society Report. She explains how activists have become creative in their methods, but many still face lethal threats in their work. 
 
Hear what a day in their life sounds like for Perk Pomeyie, a youth environmental activist from bustling Ghana, who has mobilised young people for the Fridays for Future mobilisations. 

Later we speak to Munnira Katongole, a South African environmental activist fighting for social change and climate justice.  She speaks to the historical and intersectional nature of the climate justice fight, and how we are running out of time. 

We close the show by telling you how you can get practically involved in your community to make a difference.

CIVICUS Voices is a podcast produced by CIVICUS and hosted by Aarti Narsee and Mawethu Nkosana. Our producer is Elna Schütz, and today’s content producers were Nina Teggarty, Safia Khan and Maame Twum Barima.

Find out more on www.civicus.org or on social media under @CIVICUSAlliance.
Music in this podcast is One Night In Africa by John Bartmann under CC0 1.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, civil society organisations took action as frontline responders, and as defenders of democracy, civic space and human rights. They often faced greater restrictions, sometimes under the guise of pandemic emergency response.  In this episode, we hear from activists and researchers about what this all means.

Debora Leao is a civic space researcher with the CIVICUS Monitor, an online research tool tracking civic freedoms. She describes some of the trends they have seen throughout the pandemic, including greater detention of activists and stricter government to protesters.

We hear from a voice on the ground in Fiji with feminist and human rights defender, Roshika Deo, as she gives us a glimpse into her daily work while the country is under harsh lockdown restrictions.

Later, Slovenian youth activist and the president of trade union Mladiplus, Tea Jarc, describes how they have used creative methods of political expression despite government pushback, including playing badminton in front of parliament.

We close the show by telling you how you can get practically involved through the CIVICUS #StandAsMyWitness campaign, which has successfully called for the release of 9 activists and Human Rights Defenders so far.

CIVICUS Voices is a podcast produced by CIVICUS and hosted by Aarti Narsee and Mawethu Nkosana. Our producer is Elna Schütz, and today’s content producers were Amal Atrakouti and Deborah Walter.

Find out more on www.civicus.org or on social media under @CIVICUSAlliance.
Music in this podcast is One Night In Africa by John Bartmann under CC0 1.

CIVICUS Voices is a brand new podcast from CIVICUS, a global alliance of over 10,000 activists and civil society organisations.

Aarti Narsee and Mawethu Nkosana will be bringing you stories from across the world of people, communities, and organisations defending human rights and working for change.

Subscribe to the podcast today on all podcast apps to receive the first episode soon.

 Find out more on www.civicus.org or on social media under @CIVICUSAlliance.
Music in this podcast is One Night In Africa by John Bartmann under CC0 1.