At Opciónate, we participated last Friday 21st of April in the event “Innovating in the Social Sphere: Same Rights, Different Perspectives”, promoted by SIC4Change and held at Casa África. The event created a key space for collective reflection on human rights in contexts of inequality.
The gathering brought together professionals, social organizations and institutions to analyse current challenges in the effective access to rights, with a particular focus on the structural barriers affecting migrant populations.
Rights in dispute: between recognition and reality
Throughout the event, participants addressed the lack of real universality of human rights, highlighting how, in many cases, systems do not guarantee rights but rather manage vulnerability.
Key issues discussed included the right to legal existence, the difficulties surrounding regularisation processes, and limited access to essential areas such as employment, housing, education and healthcare. The discussions also pointed out how certain legal frameworks can generate irregularity and precariousness, leaving access to rights in a constant state of dispute.
Participants further reflected on the tension many people face between being perceived as victims or as a threat, as well as the impact of fear of administrative repercussions, which can discourage individuals from reporting rights violations. In response, the importance of recognising people as active political subjects with the capacity to organise and drive social change was strongly emphasised.
Opciónate’s perspective: digital equality and human rights
From Opciónate, we contributed our perspective on digital equality, underlining that social inequalities are also reproduced in digital environments.
In this context, we highlighted the need to guarantee digital human rights from a feminist and co-responsibility approach, paying close attention to how technologies are designed and implemented.
We also stressed a key question in the field of technology: what is innovation for, and who is it for? Attention was drawn to the risks faced by minors in digital environments and the importance of placing human rights at the centre of technological development.
Creating necessary spaces for social change
At Opciónate, we highly value the creation of spaces like this, which are essential for making inequalities visible, fostering critical thinking, and advancing towards a more just and inclusive society.
We would like to thank all the organisers and participating entities for their commitment to promoting initiatives that place human rights at the centre and encourage the collective construction of solutions.