Completed Projects

Strengthening traditional civil society (TCS) to combat digital disinformation in Bangladesh – 1st phase

Disinformation[1]  has so far been the most severe problem in using online resources (website, blog, Facebook, YouTube etc.) in Bangladesh. It is causing detrimental impacts on social cohesion, inter and intra religious harmony, freedom of expression, cultural diversity, gender sensitivity, inter-party relationship and many other aspects of social and political life. Digital disinformation has been developing a notion of singular identity instead of recognizing the fact that humans have multiple identities.[2]

The Institute for Environment and Development (IED) views that the ongoing trend is severely impacting the chance of a tolerant society and liberal democratic state. From this standpoint, IED intends to strengthen understandings and skills of traditional civil society (TCS)[3]to combat digital disinformation. This intervention is important in order to safeguard the citizens, particularly the youths, from being trapped into the grip of anti-liberal[4] anti-democratic forces in the name of supremacy of a particular religion, sect, or ethnicity. 

Digital disinformation impacts, in particular, the lives of youths in negative ways. Consumption of unchecked disinformation online in many cases results in unaware attractions towards violent extremism, radicalism, religious fundamentalism and bigotry. It can also give birth to hatred and intolerance towards the people from “out group” on the basis of unsubstantiated perceived notion of “us” and “them”.

Donor: The Asia Foundation

Duration: January 2021 – January 2022

Overall Goal: Promoting peace, harmony and social cohesion in the community through effectively counter the unbridled digital disinformation against the ideal of a liberal, tolerant, non-communal and democratic state and society

Specific Objectives:

  1. The selected 80 TCS members and 800 youths will obtain skills to identify disinformation online and be conscious about the level of danger a piece of digital disinformation can create in the project areas.
  1. The 880 project participants will be able to identify the disseminating digital disinformation and their ideological standpoints and other intentions and learn the process to make a positive and encouraging tolerance, harmony, fraternity, gender sensitivity, and non-violence in mainstream and viral online.
  1. The 80 TCS members will make the 800 youths aware about digital disinformation and they will be trained to disseminate positive contents online highlighting tolerance, inter-religious and inter-ethnic group harmony and liberal worldview.
  1. Total 740 local government representatives, GoB officials, cultural activists, women leaders, religious leaders, youths, social leaders, journalists, students, and community people would create an awareness regarding digital disinformation and its danger.

Direct Beneficiary:

Training participant = 80 [20 participants in each location].

Group member = 800 [Each training participant forms and leads a group of 10 youths in their areas which means there will be 200 members in a group in each location].

Workshop participant = 380