Digibak Bootcamp at the APRIGF

Digibak Bootcamp, which was launched at the Rights Con (READ: Hashtags, Card Games, and Digital Rights: RightsCon Southeast Asia Closes), joined the Asia Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum in Macau. The session was held merged with the Youth Internet Governance Forum (YiGF) and in partnership with NetMission.

The APrIGF was held at the Macau University of Science and Technology and conducted different sessions with themes on Cybersecurity and Trust, Enhancing Multistakeholder Cooperation, Internet and Human Rights, Inclusiveness and Diversity, Cirtical Internet Resources, Openness, and Emerging Issues. (READ: APRIGF 2015 Agenda)

Digibak Bootcamp goes to APRIGF 2015 in Macau!

Dakila’s Digibak Bootcamp is a simulation game of multistakeholder cooperation between civil society (human rights expert) and private sector (technology sector).

Youth participants of the YIGF and Nita of EngageMedia join the Digibak Bootcamp game

One group discussing solutions for their Internet Governance problem

The youth and other participants who joined the Digibak Bootcamp learned how to strategize to find solutions to their Internet Governance problems. They also learned to collaborate with one another and deal with real-life problems faced by stakeholders working in Internet Governance issues (crashing computers, technophobe boss, no funding!).

Aside from Dakila’s session, other sessions such that of Internet Governance and human rights, gender, and children were also held. The question of how to protect human rights, especially women’s rights and children’s rights, are important issues we need to start talking about. How do we ensure that women and children are not exploited and abused online? How do we ensure that the human rights are upheld online?

Women from different groups held some sessions on women’s issues such as consent. Prior to the 3-day conference, a pre-event called Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (GigX) was conducted by APC (Association for Progressive Communications) and FMA (Foundation for Media Alternatives). The group also held onto a gender report card throughout the conference to check whether gender issues were tackled or if there were women speakers for each session.

While the APRIGF 2015 tackled many important issues in Internet Governance, we do hope that more sessions were dedicated to tackling human rights issues.