Strong calls are emerging from concerned Fijians to shut down the ‘ChatFiji Facebook’ forum following the death of social influencer Esala Seru Yalewamama, also known as ‘Ranadi Kei Viti’, yesterday morning.
‘ChatFiji’, a local Facebook forum, has gained notoriety for hosting unregulated content, including defamatory and derogatory posts about individuals. There are allegations connecting Esala’s death to the forum, prompting an investigation by the Assistant Commissioner of Police – Crime (ACP) Mesake Waqa. “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 stated.
Despite these calls, social media influencer and lawyer Jon Apted believes shutting down the forum is not a long-term 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,” Apted said. He suggests that changing behavior through education, effective handling of complaints, and prosecuting serious offenders is the solution. He also emphasizes personal responsibility in keeping online platforms safe by not reacting to or sharing harmful posts and reporting offensive content.
Apted noted that many people mistakenly believe their freedom of speech allows them to say whatever they like online, stating, “Freedom of speech is not an absolute right. It allows you to express your views about issues and political figures, but it does not include the freedom to say nasty personal things about others or cause anyone harm.”
He called on the Fiji Human Rights, the Anti-Discrimination Commission, and the Online Safety Commission to educate the public on the boundaries of freedom of speech. Additionally, he urged the government to allocate more resources to the Commission to address increasing cyberbullying incidents.
The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement has also condemned the repeated acts of psychological violence and character attacks. Nalini Singh, executive director of the Fiji Women’s Rights Commission, urged authorities to monitor online violence more closely. “This is not the first time… and it is sad that despite Esala’s death, people continue to dump hateful remarks online. When will we learn?” she questioned. Singh emphasized the need to speak out against cyberbullying and online harassment and demand justice for victims.
The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission shared similar concerns, with chairperson Pravesh Sharma criticizing social media administrators for failing to moderate hate comments. “The culpability lies with the administrators of the public chat-forum Facebook pages and those commenting. They must face the full brunt of the law. Freedom of speech carries ‘responsibility’ and has limitations,” Sharma said.
The 2013 Constitution under Section 17(3)(b)(d) allows for the limitation of free speech to protect the reputation, privacy, dignity, rights, and freedoms of others, including protection from hate speech and preventing attacks on the dignity of individuals or groups.
Concerns about equality and non-discrimination are also reinforced in Section 26, which states that every person is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and treatment. This includes protection from discrimination based on various personal characteristics and opinions or beliefs that cause harm to others or limit others’ rights and freedoms.