Cameras Everywhere Report 2011 - Key Recommendations

WITNESS Next Steps

WITNESS will work to ensure that the millions of people turning to video for human rights can do so as effectively, safely and ethically as possible. Never before has there been such potential for diverse stakeholders to harness the possibilities of human rights video. As video becomes more central to human rights struggles, WITNESS will deepen our global leadership role by fostering a more conducive environment for video to support human rights. We plan to:

1. Create WITNESS Labs: Support a series of collaborations with technology developers to create innovative tools that support human rights and address the challenges raised by the increasing use of video, particularly within grassroots human rights campaigns.
2. Engage with key stakeholders in technology and human rights: Advocate on the key recommendations outlined in this report through private advocacy, public discussions, events, blogs and online debates.
3. Build broad-based digital media literacy and advocacy skills for effective use of video: Develop comprehensive training tools, effective guidelines and spreadable media to support a growing number of human rights video-users.
4. Promote public policy solutions: Review participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives, push for further discussion around visual privacy, and facilitate collaborations with key players on critical issues outlined in this report.
5. Mobilize support for a growing field – “Why Video Matters”: Through collaborative research and reporting, further deepen the evidence-based understanding of the challenges and opportunities that video and related technologies can play in facilitating social change.

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