During Election Season, The Un Issues A Warning Against Hate Speech.
To prevent electoral violence and other crimes, the UN has asked Nigerians to refrain from using hate speech during the next election season.
As part of her official visit to Nigeria, Ms. Alice Nderitu, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor of the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, gave the advise to media in Abuja on Friday.
Nderitu was speaking as the upcoming 2023 general elections, which will start on Saturday, February 24, came into focus.
She said that since 1999, the nation’s elections have shown a dedication to democratic principles.
Thus, the UN representative advised Nigerians to avoid hate speech both before and after the elections since doing so might lead to violence and other associated crimes.
“My responsibility is to stop genocide and associated crimes. When there is a danger, I am responsible for alerting the Security Council and Secretary-General and mobilizing action to reduce that risk.
In addition, my office is in charge of carrying out the UN strategy and plan of action against hate speech, which Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced in 2019.
“This strategy lays out recommendations for UN organizations and other societal actors on how to address hate speech at the local, national, and international levels, as well as how to intensify efforts to address the underlying causes and motivators of such speech, such as racism and racial discrimination.
According to her, “Our technique complies with both the right to freedom of speech and international human rights norms.”
She named some of the early warning signals and risk factors that might result in genocide, such as the spread of hate speech and the lack of independent institutions to address it.
She also noted the growth of neighborhood militias and armed organizations, as well as the dehumanization of violence against citizens based on their ethnicity, religion, race, or nationality.
The possibility of these crimes exists everywhere in the globe, and all cultures exhibit risk signs. How societies react to these risks determines whether a situation develops into a more severe one.
“Inflammatory language, hate speech, and polarizing rhetoric have increased throughout the Nigerian election season; this is due in large part to the use of digital technology, which amplifies such speech at an unprecedented pace.
