Praktijkgericht onderwijs over mensenrechten en veiligheid: Het Global Justice Investigations Lab als ruimte voor kritische reflectie op digitale geletterdheid

Abstract

The growing prevalence of mal- and disinformation, the increasing role of artificial intelligence, and the expansion of digital surveillance pose significant challenges for global justice and security. This article examines three interrelated educational challenges in this context: digital literacy, interdisciplinarity, and ethically integrating real-world investigative work into human rights and security education. The rise of open-source and digital investigative methods has transformed fact-finding in security and human rights, but also raises ethical and methodological concerns, including source bias, data governance issues, and potential misuse. Students must learn to critically assess digital materials such as satellite imagery and social media data, while educators must embed this training within relevant legal and ethical frameworks. Moreover, addressing global security and human rights issues requires interdisciplinary collaboration across fields such as security studies, law, political science, and data science. Yet integrating these perspectives in education remains challenging, as students often lack complementary ethical, legal, or technical competencies. Responding to this problem – and to students’ demand for practical experience – digital Open-Source Investigation (OSI) labs offer an alternative to traditional fieldwork, enabling ethical engagement with sensitive issues without exposing students or communities to undue risk. Drawing on the case study of Utrecht University’s Global Justice Investigations Lab, this article identifies best practices for integrating digital literacy, interdisciplinary training, and ethical engagement into curricula. It argues that OSI labs provide a promising framework for preparing students to navigate the complexities of contemporary global security and human rights work.