The Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission is urging relevant stakeholders to collectively address cyberbullying, harassment, and hate speech on social media platforms.
This appeal comes after news broke that a member of the LGBTI community and social media influencer allegedly took their own life on Tuesday night due to persistent bullying and harassment on a Facebook public chat forum.
It is reported that the deceased was humiliated, threatened, and abused by contributors on this popular forum, with some offenders utilizing anonymous accounts.
Commission Chair, Pravesh Sharma, stated that cyberbullying infringes on several human rights, including the right to life, privacy, and dignity.
Sharma expressed concern that those managing public chat forums on social media are not adequately moderating and controlling hate-filled comments.
“Responsibility lies with the administrators of these Facebook pages and the individuals commenting, and they must face the full extent of the law,” he said.
He emphasized that freedom of speech comes with “responsibility” and has limitations. According to Section 17 (3)(b)(i) of the Constitution of the Republic of Fiji, a law may limit free speech to protect the reputation, privacy, dignity, rights, or freedoms of other individuals, including protection from hate speech directed at individuals or groups. Social media users must respect this.
Furthermore, Section 26 (3) (a) of the Constitution states that a person must not be unfairly discriminated against, directly or indirectly, based on their actual or supposed personal characteristics or circumstances, including gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression.
Sharma added that the Commission has filed a complaint with both the Fiji Police Force and the Online Safety Commission to investigate this reported death and hold the perpetrators accountable. Fiji must work towards creating a safer online environment.