Today, June 14th, the United Nations Country Team in Moldova launches the #NoToHate Speech campaign to counter hate speech and curb the incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence, which cause real harm to individuals and society alike.
Throughout the years hate speech led to serious human rights violations and even several mass atrocities. In many of these cases, hate speech was identified as a “precursor to atrocity crimes, including genocide”.
In the Republic of Moldova, as much as in many other countries, hate speech remains a prevalent challenge among the forms of discrimination people face. Due to the current fragile context with the war next door and economic crisis, hate speech has increased more than ever, which should not be tolerated.
While the use of social media and digital platforms to spread hatred is relatively recent, the weaponization of public discourse for political gain is unfortunately not new. As history continues to show, hate speech coupled with disinformation and misinformation can lead to stigmatization, discrimination and large-scale violence. Addressing and countering hate speech is, therefore, a necessity. It requires a holistic approach and joint effort from individuals and organizations – including governments, national human rights institutions, the private sector, media, local authorities, educators, youth and civil society.
If left unchecked, hate speech can even harm peace and development, as it lays the ground for conflicts and tensions, wide scale human rights violations.
Our action is clear - we need to speak out firmly against hate speech.
The UN Moldova campaign includes strong messages and firm actions to be taken by all actors and across all sectors to end hate speech focusing on three most widespread discriminated groups of people affected by negative societal prejudice: LGBTQI+, Roma and refugees&migrants. We make the call on everyone to join United Nations’ efforts in building a world of peace, inclusion, freedom and equality for all.
There are many ways we can tackle and prevent hate speech already today:
PAUSE - Refrain from making any hateful comments yourself and/or relaying such content. Whether online or offline, we should all act responsibly to stop the spread of hate and misinformation.
FACT-CHECK - To detect false and biased information, including hate speech propaganda, be sure to check the content’s origin with the help of search engines, fact- checking tools and other reliable sources.
EDUCATE - You can help raise awareness of hate speech -- online or offline – simply by engaging with your family and friends in conversations about how hateful content can harm societies.
CHALLENGE - You can undermine hateful content with positive messages that spread tolerance, equality and truth in defense of those being targeted by hate.
SUPPORT - Taking a public stand for, and extending solidarity to, people who are the targets of hate speech demonstrates that rejecting hate is the responsibility of every individual.
REPORT - Most online platforms and communities have rules to keep user discussions respectful and will let you easily report hate messages to administrators or moderators.
We invite you to follow UN Moldova social media accounts @ONUMoldova and web page moldova.un.org for updated information and key messages ready to be shared using the hashtag #NoToHate.
Note:
In July 2021, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 18 June as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech aiming to counter discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech, and calling on all relevant actors, including States, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon, in line with international human rights law.
