July 16th 2023.
Content moderators in Kenya are suing Facebook for what they say is the "torture" they have endured at work. Nathan Nkunzimana recently spoke to the Associated Press in Nairobi about the lawsuit, which is also targeting contractor Sama. He was one of nearly 200 contracted workers outsourced to the Kenyan capital to manage Facebook users' content input from Africa.
Nkunzimana and his colleagues refer to themselves as "soldiers" taking bullets on behalf of the online community. They are following the path of their U.S. counterparts, who Facebook settled with in 2020 on similar grounds. The Kenyan moderators are now seeking $1.6 billion in compensation for the lack of proper working conditions, including mental health support for the disturbing content consumed and general low wages for the work performed.
Unfortunately, the court order that their contracts must be extended until the case is completed is being ignored, leaving the employees without pay. Facebook and Nama have claimed they had work standards above local norms, but the mental health services were not adequate to handle the level of trauma endured. This has left Nkunzimana and other employees at a loss.
The international employment practice is exploitative in nature, as companies outsourcing jobs to countries like Kenya expose workers to roles that are harmful. However, the Kenya-based moderators are empowered and garnering worldwide attention for their lawsuit. Their hearing is set for July 10, 2023.
Hopefully, this lawsuit will serve as a catalyst for change and help to ensure that employees in similar positions elsewhere are provided with the necessary support and financial compensation.
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