The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement issued a statement yesterday condemning the alleged cyberbullying that reportedly led to a social media influencer’s suicide.
The FWRM claimed that social media posts shared by friends and family suggested that the individual’s death was a result of targeted online attacks and harassment from members of a public platform on Facebook called Chat Fiji.
In their statement, the FWRM denounced the repeated acts of psychological violence and character attacks, urging authorities to intensify efforts to monitor online violence.
“Technologically facilitated gender-based violence on such public platforms is detrimental for 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 do something about it?”
Ms. Singh also called for zero tolerance for online violence, especially against marginalized communities, and encouraged Fijians to exercise 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.”