YouTube Users Respond to Crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Today is Human Rights Day and over the years we've seen YouTube become a platform for people all over the world to discuss issues and take action for human rights. There are individuals who use YouTube as a megaphone for social change and there are nonprofit organizations that tap the endless talent and passionate users on the site for support, allowing anybody from around the world to get involved and make a difference. This is evident in the powerful campaigning taking place on YouTube around the current crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Since August of this year, 250,000 Congolese citizens have been forced to flee their homes as the civil war between government and rebel soldiers rages on. As the death toll and refugee counts increase, nonprofit organizations have been turning to YouTube to offer a first-hand look at those affected by the violence. For example, UNICEF uses video to explore a day on the ground at one of the refugee camps in DR Congo, while Doctors Without Borders depicts the struggles of the displaced through a powerful slideshow. Two weeks ago, the UN World Food Programme posted a simple 30-second PSA about the need for food in the DR Congo -- the video has already received over 160,000 views. For users who want to contribute more than their viewership to aid in the effort, the Disasters Emergency Committee recently posted a video appeal on behalf of the UK's 13 leading charities for users to donate funds to help the refugees.

Citizens have been eager to comply, not only by donating funds but by using YouTube to urge instant action. For example this UK citizen posed a frank question to Prime Minister Gordon Brown asking why he recently spent more time talking about British celebrities than the dire situation in the DR Congo.

Video continues to serve as a powerful tool to expose incidents that threaten the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to spur individuals to exercise their freedom of speech. While it may be difficult to end human rights abuses everywhere, we can be grateful that there are organizations and citizens armed with cameras to help bring these abuses to light.

Ramya Raghavan is the Nonprofits and Activism Manager at YouTube.

Follow Ramya Raghavan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/citizentube

Comments

[UberReaganite]

12:55 PM on 12/11/2008

Only 4 posts on this thread? Because people are simply that callous. People on this forum worry about gay marraige, abortions, plumbers and celebrities but millions dying in terror and famine? Who cares.....

If there was such a thing as an actual United Nations they would do their job and PREVENT atrocities like this but we all know they dont. Not only is the UN a complete and utter failure at proactive nation building and world law enforcement but I challenge you readers to list even one significant praiseworthy accomplishemnt by this organization. They recieve Billions of dollars from the world and they do nothing but buy Art and foster graft and corruption through contract abuse.

The UN is a complete and utter FAILURE and the needy citizens of the world suffers.

Here are some recent FAILURES where millions died due to UN inaction. Feel free to list successes...
Somalia
Rwanda
Serbia
N Korea
Sudan
Nigeria
Ethiopia
South Africa -NOW

[GrainOSand]

10:04 PM on 12/10/2008

Our collective inhumanity is shameful and breathtaking. They are as an ocean -- the problems facing the world, versus anything I could say here to change them, or in any way affect them. It is the people of the Congo, and others like them that I attempt to speak about when I write here. Yes, I am doing fine, but that has never been the standard by which I judge the world. My ivory tower has windows and therefore I can look out and see suffering. I do what I can where I can but it is never enough to combat historical ills that continue to plague, and contemporary malice, murder, and greed that continue to go unchecked or ignored. I tell my loved ones all the time, I have left this world in God's hands for it will surely take a God to bring true change. Unfortunately, cosmic change can be brutal in teaching its lessons, but we are a hard headed, distracted, and self-important lot. Comeuppance is coming and I ain’t no soothsayer or shaman either. Logic says that the unbalanced nature of evil manifest in the world is -- unsustainable.

[anonimost]

06:17 PM on 12/10/2008

And look here - look how there is not more than two comments so far on this story.

NO ONE CARES ABOUT THE CONGO - THAT IS WHY THEY GET AWAY WITH IT!!!

Those of us who do care just have to sadly sit and watch it all unfold. Zimbabwe, Congo, Darfur, Rwanda...

We are a useless bunch of "watchers."

[camper65]

12:15 PM on 12/11/2008

Better a "watcher" than a pathological, self-righteous meddler. It's none of our business. It's theirs! Welcome to the real world!

[Cesaria]

06:12 PM on 12/10/2008

This is a powerful medium and if it does indeed open people's minds, their eyes, and gives them another avenue to get information about the outside world, I applaud it. It makes me feel good knowing that although our traditional media may not cover such global news that isn't 'popular', that there are people who are hungry for further knowledge and information.