Hate speech is a driver of social conflict, addressing it requires joint efforts from everyone, say youth

In an online workshop, held as part of UNSMIL’s YouEngage programme, twenty-four young men and women from across Libya discussed ways to combat the prevalent issue of hate speech in Libya, particularly on social media.

The eleven young men, and thirteen young women, highlighted how much of a contributing factor hate speech could be, and is, to social conflict, with widespread confusion about what constitutes legitimate criticism and what is ‘hate’ speech. They said a polarised media and social media played a large role in exacerbating hate speech and misinformation in the country.

“Those in positions of power must choose their words carefully,” said Samira Bouslama, Human Rights Officer, UNSMIL, adding that the wrong choice of language can have serious consequences.

Participants highlighted that women and youth were often targets of hate speech, and some are affected by this daily. They noted it was hard for young people, particularly young women, to raise their voice without consequence.

“Hate speech in Libya is difficult to combat,” said one participant, “the most prolific pages for spreading hate speech are on Facebook, and most of these are owned by influential people making it difficult and dangerous for youth to combat them.”

Participants of the workshop recommended the following ways to prevent hate speech:

• Tackle hate speech early on through education in schools on preventing bullying, cyber-crimes and causing harm to others.
• Support authorities to combat hate speech and raise awareness of the risks around hate speech among youth through youth centres and youth councils.
• Establish a comprehensive charter and code of conduct for media to reduce inflammatory rhetoric and misinformation in reporting.
• Conduct advocacy campaigns to support a change in Libyan laws to define hate speech and to ensure these laws are upheld.
• Support civil society, student unions and fact checking organisations to develop advocacy campaigns.
• Work closely with social media platforms to define hate speech in Libya and to counter it.
• Support victims of hate speech to build their resilience and promote dialogue.
• Bring different communities together to overcome barriers and remove social divides.
• Support the media to be independent and free so that polarized views are not amplified and launch media initiatives which promote stories of peaceful coexistence across Libya.

“Addressing hate speech in Libya requires the joint efforts of government, civil society and citizens,” said another participant. “Peace and stability can only be achieved by strengthening a unified national identity, and emphasizing common values that unite all Libyans,” they added.

The workshop was a part of a series organized by UNSMIL under its YouEngage programme, which aims to engage 1,000 young men and women across Libya on different topics. The goal is to gather their ideas and recommendations to inform UNSMIL’s youth-oriented strategies, promote inclusion, and amplify the voices of those who are traditionally excluded.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).