25 October 2016: CIVICUS launched a beta version of a web platform to track and compare civic freedoms on a global scale. The CIVICUS Monitor is a tool to rate all countries in the world on their “state of civic space,” or how well they uphold the freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression. The platform also provides analysis to account for differences between country contexts.

The Monitor, launched on 25 October 2016, in New York, US, is a research collaboration between CIVICUS and its members and partners. The platform is guided by four core principles: transparency, inclusivity, flexibility and activism. The rating tool combines qualitative and quantitative data from a range of sources, and places countries in categories that reflect the broad spectrum of respect for civil society freedoms (closed, repressed, obstructed, narrowed and open). So far, 104 countries have been rated through the Monitor.

Only nine countries are rated as “open,” characterized by a State where space for civil society is safeguarded and platforms for dialogue are provided.

Among the findings of the rating system, civic space is “closed” in 16 countries: Bahrain, Burundi, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Laos, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. Closed civic space is characterized by an atmosphere of fear and violence, and severe punishment for those who disagree with authorities. In addition, 32 countries are rated as “repressed.” In total, CIVICUS notes, this means that 3.2 billion people live in countries where civic space is either repressed or closed. Another 21 countries are rated “obstructed,” and 26 have “narrowed” civic space. Only nine countries are rated as “open,” characterized by a State where space for civil society is safeguarded and platforms for dialogue are provided. These are: Andorra, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Also according to the Monitor’s results, violations of civic freedoms occur in every region of the world, but these are more concentrated in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. An analysis of more than 200 updates to the CIVICUS Monitor over the past four months indicates that the three most common violations of civic freedom are: detention of activists (68 cases), use of excessive force against protesters (62 cases) and attacks on journalists (37 cases). It finds that activists are most likely to be detained over: criticism of authorities (37%); human rights monitoring (29%); and political divisions or conflict (16%). Excessive force is most likely to be used against protesters who: criticize government decisions or corruption (29%); call for action on human rights abuses (20%); and call for basic social or economic freedoms (20%). Finally, journalists are most likely to be attacked covering protests (26%) or conflicts (19%), or because of their ethnicity, religious or political affiliation (14%). In the vast majority of cases, a press release notes, the State is the perpetrator of these violations.

CIVICUS, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, is an international alliance of members and partners. It has worked for nearly two decades to strengthen citizen action and civil society throughout the world. It provides a focal point for knowledge-sharing, common interest representation, global institution-building and engagement. [CIVICUS Monitor] [CIVICUS Press Release]