RIGHTS, EVIDENCE, ACTION

Data Matatu — using social media data for human rights advocacy

Evidence for human rights advocacy is often sourced from traditional, respectable and socially-accepted sources such as national statistics and reports. The Data Matatu broadened this approach by gathering real-time, digital evidence from the conversations of young people. As such, advocacy is driven by the genuine needs and diversity of young people and topics important to them are identified, highlighted and brought to the table in local and international policy spaces.

The Data Matatu was developed and piloted for the Rights, Evidence, Action program (2016-2019), which worked with youth-led organizations in India, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda to ensure the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all young people. The Data Matatu analyzed in-country Twitter discourse on topics and hashtags chosen by each organization for their specific advocacy goals. By capturing the discourse from a broad range of sources, the analysis gauged online social sentiment around topics of interest across different user accounts — from other human rights organizations, celebrities and influencers, government officials and media outlets to young people in general.

The name Data Matatu comes from the public transport system in Kenya, where colorful matatus (busses/vans) carry passengers from one place to the next. It is a visual representation of the project — a way of getting human rights organizations to their next destination in data-driven advocacy.

Partners: RNW Media, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality

Funding: Amplify Change