Bytes for All (B4A) in association with like-minded civil society organizations has launched an online campaign to push back the menace of hate and incitement to violence, in an effort to support the government of Pakistan’s cause of discouraging hate speech both online and offline and bridge the divisiveness in society.
Hate speech and incitement to violence in Pakistan has been disrupting the peace of our society since decades, initially was limited to offline spaces; however, has polluted the online spaces in current times. In fact, the impacts of hate speech in online spaces are far pervasive than offline with severe real-life consequences, such as violence and terrorism.
The government of Pakistan in its National Action Plan in 2014 expressed its firm resolve to fight the issue of hate speech and abusive behaviors on social media and through print literature[1]. The National Counter-Terrorism Authority in this regard made valuable strides on grounds; however, spewing hate in online spaces is still a major challenge to be addressed through collective effort.
I Don’t Forward Hate (#IDontForwardHate) is a civil society lead initiative to contribute to efforts of the government in order to condemn hate speech and incitement to violence in all its manifestations, and to promote peace, inclusiveness and respect for all communities living in Pakistan.
Bytes for All invites all to join hands and pledge to root out hatred, extremism, sectarianism and intolerance from Pakistani society, so that everyone can contribute to the sustainable development of the country.
The objectives of the campaign are as follows:
- To promote peace, dignity and respect for all communities, including minorities;
- To not support hate speech or incitement to violence; and
- To create a more dignified, equal society in which all people can participate regardless of religion, gender, caste, creed, color and profession.
You can send us your individual pledges and organizational endorsements via the campaign website https://idontforwardhate.net/ or through our social media pages as follows:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Idontforwardhate/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Idontforwardhate/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dontforwardhate
