Women's Views on News |
| Help expose sexist hate speech Posted: 18 Feb 2016 01:57 PM PST
Crimes motivated by hatred and prejudice happen in every country of Europe. A report from the Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union shows that minority groups are still the most vulnerable targets, the most targeted being the Roma, LGBT and immigrant communities. A survey of victims of hate crime showed that many hate crimes go unreported, as the police force is seen as incapable of acting, either because of fear of intimidation by the perpetrators, or because these crimes seem to fit the norms of the given community. Hate speech provides the context for hate crime to take place, as it dehumanises its targets and provides justification for physical abuse, violence and heinous crimes such as genocide and ethnic cleansing. States are responsible for investigating and unmasking the motivation behind hate crimes under Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights, as hate crimes affect our entire society. Victims of hate crime are not just statistics; they are people whose dignity and human rights have been violated. And then there is the internet. The internet offers us the chance to create, publish, distribute and consume media content, fostering therefore a space of full participation, engagement and self-expression. With the development of social networks we all can participate in cyberspace in a variety of ways ranging from keeping in touch with our friends and developing new contacts to sharing content and exploring our self-expression. Online space gives us new opportunities: engaging with others for causes that we care for. But we may equally be victim and agent of abuse and human rights violations, among them, hate speech in various forms and cyberbullying. Hate speech, as defined by the Council of Europe, covers all forms of expression which spread, incite, promote or justify racial hatred, xenophobia, anti-Semitism or other forms of hatred based on intolerance, including: intolerance expressed by aggressive nationalism and ethnocentrism, discrimination and hostility against minorities, migrants and people of immigrant origin. Hate speech as such is not a new issue on the internet, nor in the human rights debate. But its online dimension and the potential damage it can do to democratic processes gives us all new reasons to act. The No Hate Speech Movement, which started in 2013 and will be running until 2017, aims to protect and promote human rights online and encourage youth participation and 'netcitizenship'. Ultimately, its goal is to mobilise young people to help create a culture of human rights and democracy. The No Hate Speech Movement is organising a European Action Day countering Sexist Hate Speech. It is to be on 8 March 2016, International Women's Day. The idea is to publish different stories and articles connected to the issue of sexist hate speech you have found or been faced with on the internet, on social media, in online journalism, in online games and in online marketing. If you have a personal story to share, or if you have been researching in this field, or if you have an opinion on this matter, please do write it up and send it to the Movement to be published on the No Hate Blog between 6 March and 10 March and on the Facebook Page of Movement and shared on #nohatespeech. Discrimination, multiple discrimination and hate speech against women is a serious issue still in today's Europe, but this is the first time the No Hate Speech Movement will address sexism and gender equality. It is very important to explain that sexism is also a form of human rights violation and that hate speech against women increases violence against women. Sexist hate speech aims to humiliate and objectify women, to destroy their reputation and to make them vulnerable and fearful. It is a form of social shaming, and it is spreading the message that the women are lesser human beings. Gender-motivated hate speech creates, reinforces and perpetuates gender hierarchy in public places and destroys equality, solidarity and inclusion in all communities. The No Hate Speech Movement aims to raise awareness about sexist hate speech online and its risks for democracy and its tragic consequences for individual young people and invites its followers to take part in different actions that will be designed with the following objectives: To raise awareness about the extent of the problem of online sexist hate speech in Europe through statistics, figures and personal stories; To speak up for gender equality and Human Rights of women in all fields of life by giving positive examples of counter narratives; To reach out to men inviting them to speak up for equal rights and express solidarity and support to women; and To share good practices of educational tools for working with sexism, sexist hate speech and discrimination toward women. 'Sexist hate speech' as a legal term does not yet exist but legal documents support its inclusion. Sexist hate speech targeting women has been referred to in several terms such as "sexualised hate speech", "sexist hate speech", "cyber gender harassment", or "cybersexism". Sexist hate speech prevents women from enjoying their right to freedom of expression and their participation in the online space. It needs to stop. Join the No Hate Speech Movement here, on the #nohatespeech hashtag and on facebook.  |
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