Search Sri Lanka’s Digital Peacebuilding Initiatives Win Common Ground Award

Search For Common Ground Sri Lanka’s work on digital peacebuilding is to receive a Common Ground Award on 18 November 2021. The award under the “media” category which will be presented in New York is to recognize the work Search Sri Lanka has done to counter hate speech and misinformation with youth from all parts of the country. 

Since the Easter Attacks in 2019, the country has experienced a surge in online hate speech and misinformation. Harmful enough to incite real-world violence, Search has been working with over 600 youth since 2019 to mitigate this harm. The campaigns created by the youth have reached over six million social media users in the country. One such project, Cyber Guardians, was a timely move in the wake of the Easter Sunday tragedy. 

Dousing out misinformation

It was a baptism of fire for a group of 15 young influencers who were called ‘National Champions’ of the project. Under the leadership of Nimesh Ravanage (30) who acted as the bridge between the youth and Search, they put aside their shock and disbelief to counter the backlash of hate speech directed against minorities online. 

Working around the clock, the team reported countless pieces of content to Facebook and were instructed to flag any news of potential attacks to the authorities. Their relentless commitment and ear-to-the-ground readiness minimized the risk of sparking ethnic clashes in the volatile situation. 

Nimesh recalls that a Minister of the Opposition at the time appeared on local media and claimed with his hand to his heart that 11 army personnel lost their lives when infiltrating the terrorist cell in Sainthamarudhu. The team immediately started work to douse the misinformation with the truth. They responded by verifying with the Spokesperson for the armed forces at the time, who confirmed that there were no fatalities for the army. The Champions then began to produce a series of posts to present the real facts to the public. This was the start of a campaign that reached over 1 million users at that time. 

A spotlight on digital peace building initiatives

It also shaped how Search approaches working with youth in the sphere of digital peacebuilding. The blueprint of first understanding content and how it is used online, then countering content in a positive manner, and championing the digital space, as a result, came from Search’s learnings. 

Nimesh who will be receiving the award on behalf of this effort is a social media analyst from Ganemulla Sri Lanka. He comes from a Sinhala Buddhist background and remembers being susceptible to misguided ideas about other ethnicities in his teenage years. Currently in the UK reading for a Masters in International Business, he continues to be in contact with the National Campions and produce positive content across over 60 Social Media pages that he manages. 

Team Leader Digital Peacebuilding at Search for Common Ground Sri Lanka, Kiruthika Thurairajah will also participate in the Common Ground Awards 2021 representing Search’s work in digital advocacy and peacebuilding. 

The momentous occasion will put Search Sri Lanka’s Digital Peacebuilding Initiatives in league with the efforts of big names in the peacebuilding space. Former winners of Search awards include former president Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumaratunge, who was recognized for her work as Chairperson of the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR,) Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Muhammed Ali, and The South African 1995 Springbok Rugby Team. 

What are the Common Ground Awards?

“THE COMMON GROUND AWARDS are presented annually to honor outstanding accomplishments in conflict resolution, negotiation, community building, and peacebuilding. Recipients have made significant contributions toward bridging divides between people, finding solutions to seemingly intractable problems, and providing inspiration and hope where often there was none. Whether Awards recipients work internationally or in their local communities, the work they do to create peace and stability has the same ripple effect.”- SFCG 2017.

You can find more of Search Sri Lanka’s work via their Facebook page, here.