Hate is nothing new. But, in recent years, it has found more and more footholds within our societies. Despite our world growing more connected with globalisation and new technologies, these same advancements can also threaten to divide us when misused. When communities lack the skills to communicate across their differences, political and cultural silos form, leading to ostracisation and division. This creates fertile ground for the spread of hatred, often starting with hate speech.
Researchers at the Cardiff University in Wales Matthew L. Williams, Pete Burnap, Amir Javed, Han Liu and Sefa Ozalp's "Hate in the Machine: Anti-Black and Anti-Muslim Social Media Posts as Predictors of Offline Racially and Religiously Aggravated Crime", published in The British Journal of Criminology's 60th Volume's First Issue in January, 2020, which found: a consistent, positive association between Twitter based hate speech targeting race and religion and offline racially and religiously aggravated offences; an association around events that acted as ‘triggers’ for on and offline hate acts and that the said association is consistent in the presence and absence of events; that the role of social media in the process of hate victimisation is non-trivial; that hate speech posted on social media, an indicator of extreme polarisation, influences the frequency of offline hate crimes; that it is unlikely that online hate speech is directly causal of offline hate crime in isolation and that it is more likely the case that social media is only part of the formula, and that local level factors, such as the demographic make-up of neighbourhoods (e.g. black and minority ethnic population proportion, unemployment) and other ecological level factors play key roles; the enduring quality of hate victimisation, characterised by repeated or continuous insult, threat, or violence now extends into the online arena and can be linked to its offline manifestation; that hate speech on social media extends ‘climates of unsafety’ experienced by minority groups that transcend individual instances of victimisation; that online hate for many minorities is part and parcel of everyday life; that social media, through various mechanisms such as unfettered use by the far right, polarisation, events, and psychological processes such as deindividuation, has been widely infected with a casual low level intolerance of the racial other; continued low rates of reporting hate; and that online hate victimisation is part of a wider process of harm that can begin on social media and then migrate to the physical world.) have shown that when online hate speech reaches a certain level, it can translate into offline hate crime on the streets as people become more polarised, less tolerant and sometimes violent. This leads to very real and dangerous impacts.
Like much of the world, South Asia is no stranger to the dangers of rising intolerance and hatred. Across South Asia, more than one million people have been forced to flee their homes, a situation aggravated by hate speech in both the host countries and the countries of origin. Societies continue to struggle to build bridges between different communities and heal tensions. In Sri Lanka, 70% of the youth do not have a friend outside of their ethnicity or religion, according to the youth led peace building movement Sri Lanka Unites (SLU).
Fortunately, there is a way to combat hate speech and rebuild our connections to each other. We need to talk.
Intercultural dialogue is communication for transformative change. It occurs when different groups commit to engaging in meaningful, open communication that creates connections and breaks down barriers. An important tool for peace, security and development, intercultural dialogue has been used throughout the world to combat hatred and ignorance.
As the world commemorates Nelson Mandela (South African anti-apartheid activist and former President) International Day, we are reminded of the enduring legacy of a leader who championed dialogue, reconciliation, and the dismantling of barriers. Mandela's unwavering commitment to dialogue as a tool for change resonates deeply in a time when hate speech and division threaten the fabric of our societies. In the spirit of Mandela's vision, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) reiterates that fostering intercultural dialogue is not only a necessity but a powerful means to heal, bridge divides, and build a brighter future for all.
In Sri Lanka, multiple actors, including grassroots level organisations, are already using the power of intercultural dialogue to tackle local challenges. SLU is leveraging the power of intercultural dialogue to combat hate speech in the country and tackle ethno-religious tensions. Since 2007, this movement has been engaging with over one million youth to counter online hate as well as developing programmes to foster reconciliation and dialogue. Following the Easter Sunday terrorist bombings on 21 April, 2019, SLU recruited 500 volunteers to report and remove hate speech online, organised workshops on forming inter-religious youth coalitions to combat radicalisation and trained over 1,200 youth on the dangers of hate speech and misinformation. “By attending SLU programming, I have developed skills and am now able to maintain a better harmony with all religions in the community.” commented a 22-year-old male participant.
Recognising the potential of intercultural dialogue, UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, with financial support from the Government of Canada, has developed the Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue and the accompanying report, We Need to Talk, in partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace headquartered in Australia. Covering over 160 countries in all regions, the Framework measures intercultural dialogue through nine domains: Stability and Non-violence, Governance and Citizenship, the Freedom of Expression, Horizontal Equality, Social Cohesion, Inclusion and Representation, Leadership and Organisation, Linkages and Coherency, and Skills and Values. Ultimately, it provides a guide on how best to improve our capacities for intercultural dialogue. The UNESCO’s findings show that 87% of terrorism incidents and 89% of conflicts in the Asia and Pacific region are occurring in countries with a low capacity for intercultural dialogue. The findings highlight the positive impact of policies and actions that enable intercultural dialogue.
A launch for the Asia and Pacific region was held in Colombo, on 28 June, showcasing the new findings. Preceding the launch, two national policy dialogues took place bringing together stakeholders from across Sri Lanka, including Parliamentarians, civil society leaders, and Government officials, to consult on an ambitious new project to strengthen the capacities for dialogue across the country in the wake of the forthcoming economic reform agenda, aiming to consolidate efforts for reconciliation and social cohesion. Similar national efforts will be advanced in other countries across the region.
The solution to hate speech is not to stop talking, but rather to start talking. We must break down the barriers that we have built and learn to engage in meaningful and open dialogue to transform our societies. The UNESCO’s new framework offers a path to rebuilding dialogue and developing more peaceful and inclusive societies. Let us walk down that path together. Let’s talk.
(The writer is the UNESCO’s Assistant Director General of Social and Human Sciences in Paris, France)
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.