Anti-hate speech campaign target four counties
The Climate Change Adaptation and Smart Actions (CCASA) and Defyhatenow have embarked on fresh mitigation on hate speech in the country.
The campaign is targeting four conflict-ridden counties in Southern Unity State.
The counties are Kuich, Leer, Mayendit and Pany-Giar.
It is meant to raise awareness about the dangers of hate speech among the communities.
It is expected that the participants will get knowledge about the perils of hate speech and how to combat it. This covers online hate speech as well as fighting community narrative initiatives.
The Director of Defyhatenow, Marina Modi, stated during the initial five-day workshop in Juba that it is crucial for the two groups to collaborate and carry out such programs that would assist many people in understanding the significance of reducing hate speech in their communities.
She asserted that hate speech is one of the most perilous methods for instigating racial or ethnic violence and that it must be eradicated or that communities must be made aware of its peril.
“Hate speech is one of the issues that is affecting us as communities in South Sudan, so it is our pleasure to be a part of this to continue to give the peacebuilders awareness so that they can continue addressing the issues of hate speech,” said Defyhatenow Director.
She added that it is crucial for the country’s youth to certify and validate misinformation. The director urged the attendees to continue working toward stopping hate speech in the nation.
According to Thor Yananes, executive director of CCASA, hate speech has had a severe impact on our communities, particularly by dividing people along racial and ethnic lines, even if there are no hard numbers available.
“We are teaching the youths how to combat hate speech and false information because we want to demonstrate that they are the agents of peacebuilding and that they have the power to alter the culture in which they are raised,” Yananes said.
The campaign was funded by USAID.