United Nations Commemorates International Day Against Hate Speech

Photo: Doc. Between

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) commemorates the International Day to Combat Hate Speech which was set on June 18 by distributing six steps to deal with hate speech.

To mark an important milestone in the fight against hate speech, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution No. 75/309 of 2021 on "promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in the fight against hate speech".

The resolution designated June 18 as the International Day to Combat Hate Speech which was celebrated for the first time this year, the UN Information Center (UNIC) said.

The Head of the United Nations Representative in Indonesia, Valerie Julliand, highlighted the shared commitment to fighting hate speech.

"On this International Day to Combat Hate Speech, I invite all of you to say no to hate. Let's make our online and offline environment a peaceful environment," said Julliand, quoted from Antara, Sunday, June 19.

On that occasion, the UN team shared six steps to deal with hate speech.

The first step is to pause to take a moment before responsibly sharing content online.

The second step is fact checking, which is to verify the content found, search for news sources or content that you read or will share with others

The third step is to educate, which is to help raise awareness of those closest to you about the problem of hate speech carried out online and offline as well as encourage responsible behavior and share positive narratives.

The fourth step is to criticize, which is to respond to hateful content with positive messages that spread tolerance, equality, and truth to defend those who are the targets of hate.

The fifth step is to support, which is to extend solidarity to people who are the targets of hate speech and show that rejecting hate is the responsibility of each.

The sixth step is to report, by reading the guidelines and tips on social media platforms that aim to protect users from harassment and hate speech, including the use of the report feature on each social media platform.

The United Nations says that hate speech can incite violence and undermine social cohesion and tolerance, and it is unfortunate that the devastating effects of hate are not new.

However, according to the United Nations, the scale and impact of today's hate speech is amplified by new communication technologies, to the point that hate speech - including online - has become one of the most frequent methods of spreading divisive rhetoric and ideology on a global scale and threatening peace.

"Hate is a danger to everyone, and therefore fighting it should be a job for everyone," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

The United Nations has a long history of mobilizing the world against hatred of all kinds to defend human rights and advance the rule of law.

The impact of hate speech crosses many areas of UN focus, from protecting human rights and preventing atrocities to maintaining peace and achieving gender equality and supporting children and young people.

Combating hate, discrimination, racism and inequality is at the heart of the United Nations' principles and work, the world body seeks to confront hate speech at every opportunity.

The principle is enshrined in the United Nations Charter, within the framework of international human rights, and in global efforts aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).