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The UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, has said that the election season in Nigeria had witnessed a surge in the use of inflammatory language and hateful and divisive rhetoric.
Such hate speech is being amplified at an unprecedented rate by digital technology, she said at a press briefing held on Friday at the UN House in Abuja.
She warned that hate speech, especially if accompanied by policies and practices that discriminate against populations based on their identity, often results in hate crimes, discrimination, and violence and can be both a precursor and a trigger of atrocity crimes, in particular genocide.
Nderitu said further, “We know that the impact of hate speech makes those targeted more vulnerable to violence, exposes them to exclusion and discrimination, exacerbates underlying social and economic inequalities, and undermines social cohesion.
We know too that hate speech particularly impacts women differently as is often evidenced by their absence from political spaces. It also contributes to polarizing communities along identity lines, hampering dialogue and reconciliation.
“Countering and addressing hate speech is crucial. In the Holocaust and the genocides in Rwanda against the Tutsi and in Srebrenica, Bosnia Herzegovina, hate speech and the dehumanization of ‘the other’ was present during, after and long before violence broke out and such crimes were committed.
“Indeed, it all begins with words. By addressing divisive and harmful language, we can avoid the escalation of tensions that could result in violence. Measures to that effect can also help build societies that are resilient and inclusive.”
She called on the media to play their invaluable role during electoral processes in educating, informing, raising awareness, and alerting on situations at risk, and countering narratives of hatred and segregation with verified facts.
Nderitu is on an official visit to Nigeria this week ahead of the 25 February general elections.
She has met with government authorities, political leaders, representatives of civil society, traditional and religious leaders, and members of the international community for a better understanding of developments and views in the country.
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