There are strong calls from concerned Fijians to shut down the ‘ChatFiji Facebook’ forum. This plea follows the death of social influencer Esala Seru Yalewamama, also known as ‘Ranadi Kei Viti’, who passed away yesterday morning. The ‘ChatFiji’ forum is infamous for hosting unregulated content, often featuring defamatory and derogatory posts about individuals.
Esala’s death is allegedly linked to the ‘ChatFiji Facebook’ forum. Assistant Commissioner of Police – Crime (ACP) Mesake Waqa confirmed that an investigation is underway. “At this early stage, we cannot speculate on the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death because that will be part of the investigation process,” ACP Waqa said.
Despite the calls for shutting down the forum, social media influencer and lawyer Jon Apted believes this is not a permanent solution. “While that might deal with the toxic culture on one page, it is not a long-term solution since the bad behavior will merely be transferred to a new or different page,” he said. Apted argues that the true solution lies in changing behavior through education, effectively handling complaints, and prosecuting serious offenders where possible. He emphasizes the need for personal responsibility in maintaining safe and respectful online platforms.
Apted also noted that many people misunderstand freedom of speech as an absolute right. “Freedom of speech allows you to express views about issues and political figures but does not include the freedom to say nasty personal things about others or cause harm.” He urged the Fiji Human Rights Commission, the Anti-Discrimination Commission, and the Online Safety Commission to educate the public about the limits of freedom of speech and address the increasing incidents of cyberbullying.
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement condemned the acts of psychological violence and character attacks. Executive Director Nalini Singh called for more efforts to monitor online violence. “Despite Esala’s death, people continue to post hateful remarks online. When will we learn?” Singh said. She stressed the need for justice for victims of cyberbullying and online harassment and urged Fijians to exercise responsible online etiquette by avoiding hate speech.
The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission echoed similar concerns. Chairperson Pravesh Sharma highlighted the failure of social media chat forum administrators to moderate and control hate comments. “The culpability lies with the administrators of these forums and those commenting. They must face the full brunt of the law,” Sharma said, underscoring that freedom of speech comes with responsibilities and limitations.
The 2013 Constitution, under Section 17 (3)(b)(d), states that laws may limit free speech to protect the reputation, privacy, dignity, rights, or freedoms of others, and to prevent hate speech and attacks on individual or group dignity. It further emphasizes that every person is equal before the law and entitled to equal protection and benefit of the law, without discrimination based on personal characteristics or beliefs that cause harm to others.
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