The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) issued a statement yesterday condemning the alleged cyberbullying that reportedly led to a social media influencer committing suicide.
The FWRM stated that posts shared by the influencer’s friends and family alleged that the individual’s death was due to targeted online attacks and harassment from members of the Facebook group, Chat Fiji.
Condemning the repeated acts of psychological violence and character attacks, the FWRM urged relevant authorities to increase efforts towards monitoring online violence.
“Technologically facilitated gender-based violence on public platforms is detrimental to anyone targeted by these attacks,” said FWRM executive director Nalini Singh.
“We call on the Cyber Crime Unit of the Fiji Police Force, the Online Safety Commission, and the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission to take necessary and urgent action. How many more lives and families need to be destroyed before we take action?” Singh added.
She also emphasized the need for accountability for online violence, particularly against marginalized communities, and urged Fijians to practice responsible online behavior by avoiding hate speech.
“The virtual space should be a place where people can share their thoughts and opinions freely and responsibly,” Singh concluded.