If I Disappear: Global report on protecting young people in civic space

This report builds on the tireless advocacy efforts of those young people, policy and decisionmakers, civil society organizations, academics, artists, and others, who have tried to bring concerns about their shrinking civic space to the attention of the international community. It intends to fill some of the existing information gaps and offers recommendations for better protection of youth. 

During the course of our research, conducted in 2020, the dimensions of civic space were greatly shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. To better understand how the pandemic has affected the level of protection of young people’s fundamental rights in civic space, we incorporated questions about the effects of the pandemic in the survey, interviews and consultations. To summarize, our results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic intensified existing inequalities and insecurities, which further weakened measures for the protection of youth in civic space.