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STORY: UN / CYBER-HATE
TRT: 2.40
SOURCE: UNTV / UNICEF / WORLD BANK / PAHO / UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 16 JUNE 2009, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
RECENT, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
16 JUNE 2009, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, opening session of seminar on cyber-hate
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, United Nations Secretary-General:
“The internet has brought enormous good to our world. It has transformed the way we live and work. Yet we know there are also a few dark alleys along the information superhighway. There are those who use information technology to reinforce stereotypes, to spread misinformation and to propagate hate.”
4. Still, event poster
5. Wide shot, panel on impact of cyber-hate on youth
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Casi Lumbra, high-school student and “Teenangel”:
“The same things that would cause kids to target each other offline, such as race, religion, or even interests and activities are the things that kids use to target each other online. A big reason cyber-bullying is so prevalent online is that kids think that online, they’re anonymous, they don’t have to be responsible for their actions, and therefore their actions tend to be more severe, more violent than they would be in real life or in person.”
7. Various stills, cyber-bullying victim Ryan Halligan before his death
8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Halligan, father of cyberbullying victim Ryan Halligan:
“The key to solving this problem is we have to empower the bystanders, not only among our children but among ourselves as adults. Quite often adults, whether it be in a school setting or a social setting outside of school, were just as guilty for turning a blind eye, pretending that this is just kids being kids, what’s the big deal, it’s part of growing up – we’re never going to make any progress on this problem.”
FILE – PAHO – MAY 2007, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
9. Various shots, high school students
FILE – WORLD BANK – SEPTEMBER 2008, NEPAL
10. Med shot, girls in computer class
FILE – UNICEF – 27 NOVEMBER 2006, MALDIVES
11. Med shot, young people at computers
FILE – UNRWA – 29 SEPTEMBER 2008 / BEACH CAMP IN GAZA
12. Med shot, girl at computer putting on headphones
13. Close up, two girls behind computer
FILE – UNICEF – JULY 2008, MANILA & CEBU, PHILIPPINES
14. Pan right, two boys playing video game on computer in an internet cafe to girl working on computer
15. Wide shot, children using computer in internet cafe
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today (16 June) said that parents, the Internet industry and policy makers all have a role to play in eliminating hate speech from cyberspace, which can have a “searing impact” on young people.
Ban warned that there are “a few dark alleys along the information superhighway”, with some people using information technology to reinforce stereotypes, spread misinformation and propagate hate.
He was speaking at a seminar in New York entitled “Cyberhate” – the latest in an ongoing series on combating intolerance, organized by the UN Department of Public Information (DPI).
At a panel discussion on the effect of cyber-hate on youth, 17-year-old internet safety activist Casi Lumbra from New York state, USA, cited a survey of 45,000 students that had found 85 percent to have experienced cyber-bullying.
Lumbra said the reasons why kids target each other online are the same as offline – “race, religion, or even interests and activities” – but that cyber-bullying is more vicious because “kids think that online, they’re anonymous, they don’t have to be responsible for their actions”.
Like in the case of Ryan Halligan, an American teenager who committed suicide in 2003 at the age of thirteen. After his death, it emerged that his peers at a middle school in Vermont had ridiculed and humiliated him by spreading a rumor that he was gay.
In memory of his son, his father John Halligan became an outspoken advocate about the need for more education and prevention of bullying, cyber-bullying and teen suicide throughout the United States and Canada.
Halligan told today’s meeting that the key to solving the problem was to empower bystanders to speak out and stop harassment and abuse. He said quite often adults were “just as guilty for turning a blind eye”, and if they continued “pretending that this is just kids being kids, what’s the big deal, it’s part of growing up”, progress would never be made.
In the face of the “searing impact” of electronic harassment and cyber hate on young people, Secretary-General Ban recalled that protecting children is a top priority for the United Nations and cited several steps the UN has taken to make cyber space safer for youth.
Last month, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and its partners developed draft guidelines for the protection of children in cyberspace, to empower children and young people through education and awareness; provide advice and safety tips for parents and educators; and offer information for policy makers and industry to formulate national and international strategies.
UNICEF is conducting research and developing partnerships towards safe online communities, and has established Net Safety Day to teach children, their parents and teachers how young people can protect themselves against online abuse.
The United Nations has launched a Child Online Protection initiative, and has facilitated an international agreement to prevent the abuse of information and communication technologies for acts motivated by racism, xenophobia and related intolerance, including child abuse and child pornography.
The “Unlearning Intolerance” seminar series began in 2004 with discussions of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and has continued with lectures and seminars since then.
