The Fiji Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM) has expressed strong condemnation of the cyberbullying that allegedly contributed to a social media influencer’s suicide. According to FWRM, posts from friends and family suggested that the individual’s death was a result of targeted online harassment on the Facebook platform, Chat Fiji.
In their statement, FWRM criticized the ongoing psychological violence and character attacks, calling on authorities to increase efforts to monitor online violence. “Technologically facilitated gender-based violence on such public platforms is detrimental for anyone targeted by these attacks,” stated FWRM executive director Nalini Singh.
The organization urged the Cyber Crime Unit of the Fiji Police Force, the Online Safety Commission, and the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission to take immediate action. Ms. Singh questioned how many more lives must be affected before decisive measures are enacted to combat online violence.
Additionally, Ms. Singh emphasized the need to eliminate impunity for online violence, particularly against marginalized communities, and called on 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,” she stated.