Hate Speech Has No Place in Our World- UN Human Rights

Ahead of the International Day for Countering Hate Speech on June 18, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has asked everyone to work together to make the world a more respectful and civil place. He also wants people to take action to stop hate speech.

“We know that people who want to divide people, find scapegoats, and take attention away from real problems use hate speech. Hate speech thrives on social media, which gives it a reach and speed that have never been seen before. “Hate leads to bigotry, discrimination, and calling for violence,” Türk said.

What should we do? There is no easy way to get rid of hate in our world, either online or in real life. But with well-planned and well-funded actions, we can stop it from spreading, isolate and punish people who spread hate, and build more respect.

The UN Human Rights Chief said…..Hate Speech Has No Place in Our World

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The UN Human Rights Chief said that the use of hate speech laws against journalists and people who fight for human rights is almost as widespread as hate speech itself. Broad laws that allow states to censor speech they don’t like and to threaten or detain people who question government policy or criticize officials break people’s rights and make it harder for the public to talk about important issues.

Türk said that instead of making protected speech illegal, States and companies need to act quickly to stop speech that stirs up hate and violence.

The High Commissioner called for a number of different, well-funded efforts, such as: putting more money into fighting hate speech in languages other than English and paying more attention to and putting more money into fragile situations or places where there are early warning signs.

Listening to the people who are most affected by hate speech and giving them better ways to voice their concerns and get help quickly;

Holding companies accountable for what they do and don’t do to respect human rights, such as by requiring human rights due diligence in how they run their businesses and making policies and practices related to hate speech more clear;

allowing more research into how to effectively stop hate speech by making things more transparent, such as by making API access free or cheap;

Supporting people whose mental and physical health are seriously hurt by inciting hatred and violence, especially the well-known harms that gender-based hate does to women and girls;

They are putting money into programs that teach people about digital and media literacy, human rights, and how to check facts independently, with the help of journalists and civil society.

“More needs to be done about mega-spreaders,” Türk said. “These are officials and influential people whose words have a big impact and whose actions inspire thousands of others.” “We need to connect people and make their voices louder so they can be heard over the hate.”

One of these is the “Faith for Rights” framework from the UN Human Rights Office. It brings in religious leaders to try to stop hatred and incitement to violence like in Cyprus, where vandalism at places of worship led to calls for religious freedom, coexistence, and peace.