Human Rights Violations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Netflix’s Plans for Growth

One of the main reasons of international human rights abuses is the fierce competition on the world market.

However, exceptional performers frequently come up with inventive methods to transform the lucrative foreign market opportunities into chances to change the living conditions of the most vulnerable people on earth. This essay explains how media companies like Netflix can increase Congolese citizens’ access to basic freedoms and rights. When it comes to cultural norms and the rights of marginalized groups, the entertainment business frequently violates international laws in a number of ways.

Netflix’s Involvement in Violating Human Rights

Netflix is involved in production and streaming of films that may promote or prevent crimes against humanity such as torture, insurgency, religious extremism, and other forms of terrorism. However, the paper presents a plan that would not only improve the company’s sense of Corporate Social Responsibility but also protect the Congolese civil liberties as well as economic and cultural rights. The project would involve constructing a talent incubation centre comprising studios, broadcasting music, and video production equipment at Kinshasa. As a result, the facility would provide employment opportunities for the local community, and promote peaceful coexistence across the West African region by raising awareness about the real effects of armed conflicts via documentaries, films, and television programs.

Table of Contents

Abstract 2

Introduction 4

Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo 4

Effects of the Human Rights Violations on the Operations of Netflix and its new Stakeholders’ Safety 5

The Domestic Actors and Stakeholders 6

Consequences of Netflix’s Operations on the Local Residents’ Human Rights 7

Conclusion 9

References

Introduction

Netflix plays a critical role in raising awareness of human rights violations via both the production and streamlining of documentaries and films. The multi-media company boasts of the global most inspiring humanitarian films. The informative television programs, documentaries and movies warn against the dire consequences of bad governance, religious extremism, and armed conflicts. The firm collaborate with world leading Human Rights advocates in launching movies that inspire activism and sense of civic duties across the globe (Netflix, 2017). For example, it partnered with multidisciplinary team in shooting the E-Team. They interviewed several witnesses and other evidence in the war tone areas in Syria, Libya, Congo, Kosovo, and Somalia.

Netflix is planning to expand its geographical coverage especially to the African Countries (Gomez-Uribe, & Hunt, 2016). The growth is inspired by the need to create corporate social responsibility programs that would deliver more sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest crimes against humanity. Netflix also requires creative strategies for gaining a competitive advantage over its peer rivals such as Warner Bros, Amazon, Hulu, Fox and CBS. Most of these rivals have brick and mortar stores in Africa in addition to their e-commerce platforms (Gomez-Uribe, & Hunt, 2016). Therefore, this paper suggests that Netflix should also establish a talent incubation and information resource centers to pursue the multiple opportunities in the developing areas in West Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo would provide an ideal location for reaching out to the thousands of the unemployed youths and the immigrants from across the West Africa region. Netflix should create a state of the art facility comprising studios, broadcasting music, and video production equipment. The incubation center would not only serve as a source of first-hand information for producing inspiring movies but also provide the company with unlimited access to the consumers. The film directors from all over the world will have opportunities to feature the victims of the armed conflicts in their films as well as learn exciting cultures about the West African communities.

Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Human rights atrocities are an everyday part of the life of an average Democratic Republic of Congo’s citizens. The country has suffered political unrest continuously since the past century. Over 3.3 million residents lost their lives between 1998 and 2002 alone due to political wars, and government’s failure to ensure food security and provide adequate health facilities to its citizens (Verdonck, 2015). The violence from the neighboring countries has always had dire consequences on the Congolese.

The rebel groups that perpetrated the infamous Rwandan genocide and the insurgents from Uganda, Burundi, Angola and Ivory Coast created links with the local warlords who contribute significantly to the ongoing ethnic clashes. According to Kelly, Branham, & Decker (2016), more than fifty armed groups are operating across the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These forces have vested interests in Congo’s natural minerals such as gold, diamonds, and cobalt. The warlords, as well as the selfish multinational extraction companies, lure young people below the age of 18 to work in the dangerous mines. Bilali & Vollhardt (2015) argue that children as young as seven years old extract cobalt using their hands and rudimentary tools. The nation also encounters regular ethnic and tribal clashes due to inequitable distribution of economic opportunities and decision-making processes by the national government.

Thousands of the residents are nursing injuries and psychological torture resulting from atrocities like rape and watching the murder of their loved ones. Human Rights Watch’s /HRW (2017) report revealed that a significant number of women are survivors of mass rape and sexual slavery. The pol officers have also been accused of torturing war criminals. The United Nations and other human rights institutions are significantly changing the lives of many stakeholders. The UN has sent about 20,000 peacekeepers to ensure the safety of all the residents including the expatriate workers (HRW, 2017). Netflix’s input will come in handy in regaining the international investors’ confidence in the country.

However, impunity and corruption by the top government officials are major impediments to such efforts. The UN latest report indicated dramatic rises in the violations (HRW, 2017). There were over 5,000 various types of atrocities including rape, murder, torture, and kidnappings. Most of the cases are associated with election while the rest resulted from the continuing ethnic tensions and battles between the government and the rebels. The Regime for the President Joseph Kabila was to last until 2016, but he extended it to the end of 2017. This sparked violent mass protests where the police killed over forty people. However, there are also concerns that some cobalt extraction multinational companies are also engaged in human rights abuses such as environmental pollution, and child labor (Kelly et al., 2016). Over 2 million internally displaced persons are living in the country while 450,000 refugees have fled to other nations. Netflix has the ability to change the lives of these individuals by advocating for peace and stability (HRW, 2017).

Venturing into such war-prone areas require a great sense of corporate responsibility lacking in most private companies. Most industry players prefer sending donations to the victims to risking their organizations’ resources in establishing facilities and making greater differences.

Effects of the Human Rights Violations on the Operations of Netflix its new Stakeholders’ Safety

The costs of excelling in DRC are significantly higher than those involved in pursuing other markets. However, the goals of the expansion are not only to attract financial gains but also to boost the living standards of the local population. The firm would provide opportunities for the celebrated humanitarians, journalists, documentary producers, musicians, and actors to identify and nurture new talents and source other human resources that would transform the world’s entertainment industry. Accomplishing the objectives require the free flow of information, people, and technologies between the management of the new plant and the international community. However, the hostile environment will make it challenging to acquire all these essential resources.

The level of education is relatively lower in Congo than other West Africa nations due to the constant ethnic clashes. The young people opt to find employment to support their families or join the insurgent groups as a means of survival. More than 3.5 million children aged below 14 years are not in school. 44% of those enrolled at various lower primary institutions start school late, 67% reach 6th grade while only 75% proceed to high school (USAID, 2017). The low literacy level present challenges such as language barriers thereby hindering access to high-quality labor. The company will need creative strategies to attract the targeted young adults from the mines. Currently, children below the ages of 18 years account for over 40,000 of the mine workers. Since Netflix’s products would highlight the plight of such vulnerable populations, it is likely to face hostility from the evil extraction companies. The insurgents may also target the facility especially during major events involving dignitaries.

However, lack of transparency and democracy presents the greatest impediment to ensuring the facility’s safety. The corrupt government officials may feel threatened by the project as it will expose the atrocities committed by the police. Fear of retaliation by the human rights abusers may make it difficult to attract a qualified workforce (Baylis, Smith, & Owens, 2014). The judicial institution’s inability to bring the perpetrators of the human rights violations to book is hindering investors to explore the country. The capital flow has been affected by the pessimistic attitudes. Betts (2017) found that most investors associate the opportunities in the conflict areas with high risk of asset destruction and abrupt decline in domestic demand. As a result, Congo lacks adequate physical and social infrastructures required to achieve seamless operations. However, the government is collaborating with World Bank and other philanthropic organization to construct roads, railways lines, and communication networks. Overall, establishing and maintaining the facility will involve high costs. The company must high an experienced security firm to protect its stakeholders (Betts, 2017).

The Domestic Actors and Stakeholders

The project would involve several actors and stakeholders such as the local community, government, activist groups, civil societies, entertainment firms. The local community would provide both the labor force and the market for the products. They would perform most of the important errands ranging from keeping the facility clean to making strategic decisions. The management would appoint experienced movie directors and talent managers who will recruit gifted youths to participate in the future projects. The programs would account for the first-hand experiences of the victims and human right advocates. Therefore, the script writers would identify the appropriate members of the social society to engage in the particular program.

The minority groups would include the small ethnic communities such as Twa, women, children, and residents of the villages that are adjacent to the mines. The Twas are hunters and gatherers that have been experiencing ethnic conflict with the neighboring communities over the last three decades (HRW 2017; Verdonck, 2015). The project is also interested in women as they suffer most due to the widespread male chauvinism cultures in the region. It would further target the young children and youth who are already engaged in the mining services or at risk of experiencing the dire consequences of child labor.

The UN Congo Office would gladly assist in coordinating such activities due to the project’s critical roles in increasing the disadvantaged populations’ access to life necessities. The UN Human Rights Charter will regulate the company’s activities (Baylis et al., 2014). However, legal experts, especially on matters pertaining to film production, will be free to raise concern over issues that may undermine the rights of other participants. Government officials, opposition leaders, and average Congolese will have equal chances to air their views about the main causes of violence and challenges to experiencing democracy.

Musicians and celebrities from across West Africa would appear as guest actors in the shows. Celebrities from all over the world will not only also serve as mentors to the project’s beneficiaries but also donate resources needed to ensure the program’s success. However, more than 80% of the human resources would be sourced locally to reduce the risks of exposing the expatriate workers to violence and minimize the conflicts that may arise due to competing interest. Netflix’s directors will utilize tools such as video conference, digital networks to ensure that the regional managers do not deviate from the targeted goals.

Consequences of Netflix’s Operations on the Local Residents’ Human Rights

Netflix operations are less likely to create adverse impacts on the first generation human rights but may rather lead to minimal consequential abuses of the stakeholders’ fundamental freedom and privileges (Baylis et al., 2014). Human Rights crusaders have continually expressed concern over the content of the popular films, television, and video games. Netflix, as well as its rivals, have been involved in distributing forms of entertainment that many critics view as threats to maintaining international laws and orders regarding cultural values and the rights of the marginalized groups. The concerned parties insist that some scenes in the films promote torture, insurgency, religious extremism, and other forms of terrorism (Igreja, 2015). Given that, a significant number of films to be produced and broadcasted by the new facility will reflect on the everyday life of the local communities, Netflix is at risk of facing such challenges in Congo. The insurgents may victimize the actors or families of the individuals who participate in the shooting of such programs.

Most entertainment industry’s players prioritize profits over the societal wellbeing. The firms are more interested in programs that generate high returns. An increasing number of scholars have confirmed that the companies hardly feature scenes fostering a sense of civic and social responsibility (Igreja 2015; Bilali et al., 2016). The pressure from peers such as Warner Bros. Amazon and Hulu may influence Netflix to adopt the same trend. The laws provide the right to press freedom so long as the multimedia firms do not abuse other stakeholders’ rights. However, there is a thin line between complying with the policies and respecting the marginalized groups’ rights. Scenes involving sexual violence can easily be misinterpreted as a means of promoting prejudices against women.

The mass media often exert pressure on the audience to adopt particular lifestyle or fashion. According to Igreja (2015), empirical evidence has confirmed that many youths throughout the African Continent have always strived to talk, eat, and dress like the characters in the foreign films. The researchers attribute the loss of diversity cultural imperialism. This means that Netflix’s movies will influence the young people both positively and negatively. The educative programs will transform the lives of the youths. However, the teenagers may also acquire behaviors such as indecent dressing styles that may be undesirable to other community members. To this end, Netflix may present a barrier to civil and political rights. The adults may be concerned that the company’s activities will undermine their culture, language, and religion. Such trends conflict with Article 3 of the human rights laws that prohibit entities from engaging in activities that may hinder the cultural development of marginalized people such as the indigenous groups (Baylis et al., 2014). Nevertheless, the facility’s primary goal would be to initiate forms of entertainment and programs targeting to improve the local population’s sense of pride in their unique cultures. Therefore, such incidences will rarely be experienced by the beneficiaries.

Netflix may further install security and surveillance infrastructures that may interfere with some of the citizens’ right to privacy. On the other hand, the company should portray the real events as they happen and affect the victims. Capturing issues such as rape, mass shooting, and violent protests may infringe on some stakeholders’ rights. According to Baylis et al. (2014), portraying individuals in this manner contradicts with Article 18 of the African Charter that requires the state and the society to protect the morals and the fundamental values of the local communities. In contrast, the facility may increase the Congolese’s access to sexually explicit, strong language and violence. As a result, Netflix officials must exercise due diligence to ensure that the firms’ products do not go against the moral values governing the behaviors of the residents.

Moreover, there have been complaints that the Congolese government has turned a blind eye as state officials attack activists and bloggers who speak against the vices such as shooting unarmed protestors and using teargas canisters in areas populated by young children. HRW (2017) reveals that the UN Congo Office reported 760 human rights abuse cases in 2016. 500 of such violations are attributed by corrupt government officials and targeted activists, peaceful protesters and journalists to scare them off from fighting against oppression. President Kabila’s administration held many youths for many months without charge and access to their families and legal representation for challenging the government to respect the constitution. Therefore, Netflix may expose its business associates to such predicaments. The officials may raise unfounded and malicious charges against the participants of the documentaries or films thereby undermining Netflix’s role as an advocate for fundamental human rights and civil liberties.

However, with the existence of the comprehensive international law, the company’s stakeholders can successfully turn the challenges into an advantage. The policies promote the use of the mainstream media in soliciting information and knowledge resources required to create environments that foster a peaceful coexistence and access to basic life needs such as security, food, shelter and education (Bilali & Vollhardt, 2015). Therefore, Netflix is assured of continuous support by the international community if it exercises high levels of ethics in acquiring and disseminating the information to the other stakeholders.

Conclusion

Multinational companies like Netflix represent some of the most heavily relied upon nonstate actors in the fight against human rights abuse. Corporations should not discriminate against the disadvantaged populations by avoiding the developing countries characterized by constant conflicts. The lack of employment opportunities and inadequate infrastructures in the areas has been found to be some of the greatest triggers of the human violation. Therefore, besides improving the corporate image, Netflix would have the first-hand advantage in producing famous films and documentaries. As much as the insecurity and underdevelopment would significantly affect the company’s growth, the company is assured of readily available support from influential industry’s players such as the United Nations’ authorities, civil societies as well as the general consumers. This would result in sustainable returns such as increased competitive edge, enhanced customer loyalty, and international humanitarian awards.

However, Netflix should not establish the facility for the profit motives but instead pursue the project as part of its social corporate responsibility program. Sufficient evidence confirms that the firm would generate significantly higher and more sustainable revenue in other fast developing African economies that are more democratic and peaceful than Congo. On the other hand, there are high risks that the cost of building the facility and achieving the objectives may exceed projections. Therefore, Netflix should only pursue the plan if its current financial position would allow it to overcome the challenge. That is, the management should be willing to allocate a massive amount of resources to construct the facility and contingency plans. In such a case, Kinshasa will provide the ideal location for the facility as it is more secure and have better infrastructure than other DRC’s cities.

References

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Bilali, R., & Vollhardt, J. R. (2015). Do mass media interventions effectively promote peace in contexts of ongoing violence? Evidence from Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 21(4), 604.

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Igreja, V. (2015). Media and legacies of war: responses to global film violence in conflict zones. Current Anthropology, 56(5), 678-700.

Kelly, J. T., Branham, L., & Decker, M. R. (2016). Abducted children and youth in Lord’s Resistance Army in Northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): mechanisms of indoctrination and control. Conflict and health, 10(1), 11.

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USAID (2017). Education in Congo. Retrieved from https://www.usaid.gov/democratic-republic-congo/education

Verdonck, L. (2015). Coherence in the EU’s External Human Rights Policy: The Case of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. European Foreign Affairs Review, 20(3), 379-397.