Human rights in the online platforms – platforms as spaces for violations to occur

Power relations and framing influence human rights online and offline. Human rights and actions on grassroots and policy levels around human rights are political. For there to be effective real-world policies and solutions regarding human rights violations, there first should be a shared understanding of the narratives that political decisions are consequently based upon. Creating a narrative, consensus in its various forms is mandatory condition. However, as Pallas and Urpelainen (2013) argue, "in the absence of consensus, power becomes a key issue” (p.405). Yet, consensus is not the main goal in policy formation regarding human rights violations, and thus, there should not be the assumption that each actor shares the same understandings, in other words narrative(s). For example, various narratives of human trafficking, bullying, harassment as well as sexual violence and the rights of LGBTQ youth exists in society. Politicians are slow to tackle human rights violations. Online platforms have created spaces for the new narratives and political actors from activists, influencers to members of parliaments, to become visible globally. While online platforms such as social media with its various platforms can bring more voices and frames to the forefront, the platforms can create spaces for unchecked harm, bullying, harassment and violence. Online platforms can be used to discuss and create new policies to tackle human rights violations, while also spaces to conduct digital human rights violations. Digital platforms can also be used find new victims for various violations online and offline. The qualitative research questions addressed were the following: (1) What previous research tells about selective human rights realities, (2) How the new(er) technologies create spaces for good and bad globally in human rights realities? To answer these questions, previous case studies are discussed. The findings indicate that various actors create multiple narratives when addressing various human rights. Each actor has a different method of correlating human rights agendas with other social issues, thereby emphasizing different causes and effects in their narratives. Digital platforms give room for voices but are unchecked spaces for violating various human rights. Digital platforms illustrate the darker side of technological progress which on the one hand has given various people a possibility to engage in the society, to empower themselves and to take ownership of their rights globally, yet at the same time the platforms enable others to use the same platforms to find victims, abused and exploit. Bullying, harassment and violence is rapid in various online platforms where minorities and young people are victims with limited support. The findings suggest that the formation of various human rights policies in the international arenas are deeply affected by selective narratives that include the dynamic interrelatedness between various human rights violations, and other political issues, actors and events. Additionally, the sphere of digital human rights is largely missing in human rights literature. Simultaneously policies seem to show only lip-service being paid.