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MPs urged to enact cyber-bullying laws

Author : | Published: Wednesday, June 27, 2018

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A Human Right activist is urging the parliament to enact a law against cyber-crime.

Reech Malual, the Executive Director of Screen of Rights said South Sudanese in and outside the country are misusing social media platforms to advance hate and violence.

The Screen of Rights activist believes using security organs to address cyber-bullying or defamation without a proper cyber-law will not mitigate the problem.

International, nations considers bullying or cyber-bullying a criminal act which may be addressed in a single law or may be addressed in multiple laws.

Cyber-bullying is categorized under Harassment, Defamation, and or Publishing intimate images without consent of the source.

According to Reech Malual, some South Sudanese online users have always used their platforms to harass and intimidate others, especially those of the opposite sex.

He said a new research done by Screen of Rights has noted that bullying is a common practice by most male online users against women.

“For example, you cannot call me a prostitute when am not a prostitute, but a public figure and being just a female. they get that position because they are females and they have been sleeping around and then that’s is not acceptable,” Reech said.

“You just can’t say that I have used myself to get a position, that’s is not acceptable.”

Mr. Reech said the only way to curb this social vice is to enact a law that will help track and punished those practicing hate speech both online and offline…

“The government has a role to be able to have cyber law, to be able to control the content of what is being published on Facebook,” he said.

According to Mr. Malual, women who have fallen victims of cyber-bullying, are mostly those who have advanced in their profession.

He added that these negative online sentiments discourages female professionals from accepting jobs in public offices in fear of being accused using sexual favors.

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