Digital exclusion  

makes human rights 

staggering.

One of the main milestones of DigitAll 2022 was the launch of an awareness campaign on digital exclusion. The campaign, which was launched mid-June, highlights a little-known aspect of the problem, namely that many more of us than we realise are affected by digital exclusion. The campaign focused on the impact that digital exclusion can have on our human rights. This relevant message was disseminated through a powerful campaign on national television, radio, social media, online media, ...

The campaign draws the attention to our human rights, which we have acquired long time ago and which are now threatened by digital exclusion. Because almost everything we do today is digital. And when we don't have the right technology or necessary skills, our most basic rights are in danger. Like our right to housing, to education, to work, to privacy and many others. 

The campaign also tells us that 46% of Belgians experience digital exclusion in one way or another. Those who have difficulty using websites, downloading apps, identifying themselves online, connecting to networks ... As well as young people - digital natives - that are familiar with social networks but have problems filling in a tax form fe.

The campaign focuses on four issues and four people whose lives and rights have been directly affected by digital technology. They agreed to testify and share their stories: 

• Chantal, who sees her right to health affected by the difficulties when using digital tools to make a doctor's appointment, get her results or communicate with her health insurance fund. 
• Sura, whose innocent photos of herself were stolen from her social media profile and used on other sites without her knowledge. 
• Yusrah, who had to fight for her right to education for a long time. Because she did not have a computer, she had to do her homework and school assignments on her mobile phone. A very difficult task for her thesis, a file of 80 pages! 
• Stijn, who did not have the skills to apply online, nor sufficient knowledge of the tools that the job required and was thus directly affected in his right to work.  

Visually, the campaign uses simple and strong symbolism to express which rights are staggering: Stijn's office chair tilts dangerously, Chantal's medical chair staggers, just like Yusra's school desk or Sura's bed. A very literal but clear visualisation of the impact of exclusion on our daily lives. 

The campaign not only raises awareness, but also provides solutions to combat digital exclusion. Whether you are an individual, an organisation or a public institution, we try to guide each target group. Useful addresses & organisations can be found on the website and are also distributed via leaflets in post offices. 

The campaign was launched on 16 June via a spectacular event in the Thurn & Taxis park, at the foot of the Obelisk of Human Rights. A digital version of this column, made up of 30 coloured marble blocks in which human rights are engraved, was placed next to it, but upside down, to show its unstable balance. A very clear symbolism. The press was invited to the launch, which was also attended and supported by Petra de Sutter, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium. 

This campaign was made possible with the support from akkanto, BNP Paribas Fortis, Bpost, Clicktrust, Kabinet De Sutter, De Lijn, Dilaco, Enabel, Finn, IBM, Mediawijs, Microsoft, Proximus, Publicis Groupe Belgium, VRT, VUB.