Prof. Samuel Marfo, a member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, has said the perpetuation of hate speech based on ethnicity, religion, and political beliefs pose a serious threat to social cohesion within society.
He said hate speech can deepen divisions and sow discord that undermines peaceful co-existence in a culturally pluralistic society like Ghana.
Prof. Marfo, who is also a Conflict Resolution Lecturer at Simon Diedong Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD UBIDS), said this at a peace rally organized by the Upper West Regional Peace Council to mark the 2024 International Youth Day, in Wa, over the weekend.
The peace rally, attended by several youths in the region, was preceded by a route march through the principal streets of Wa to raise awareness on the theme, “International Youth Day: Mobilizing Youth to Prevent Violent Extremism.”
“Hate speech, targeting individuals or groups based on ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs, poses a serious threat to our social cohesion,” Prof. Marfo said.
He said even though freedoms of opinion and expression are rights enshrined in the Ghanaian Constitution, the use of those freedoms to belittle, dehumanize, or incite violence undermines the very essence of democracy.
He indicated that there was abundant evidence that suggests that hate speech escalates conflicts and leads to violence, citing that “The Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (2019) highlights that online hate speech can significantly increase the likelihood of real-world violence and crime.”
Prof. Marfo cautioned the youth to be mindful of their social media words, as these can have serious consequences.
He voiced concerns about the increasing prevalence of misinformation and disinformation in today's digital age, particularly during the election period.
“People resort to disinformation by deliberately disseminating false information with the intention to hide the truth and to create confusion. Others equally engage in misinformation where they purposely present false or incorrect but attractive information intended to deceive people for a certain desire gain. Both undermine democratic processes and can incite chaos,” he stated.
He said there was evidence that misinformation could erode trust in electoral systems and destabilize democracies and thus, urged the youth and the public to “develop critical thinking skills and media literacy to discern fact from fiction” as the 2024 elections nears.
Mrs. Hellen Sunmanbo Bagonluri, a member of the Peace Council, addressing the youth at the rally, admonished them to stay away from electoral violence and embrace peace as the elections draw close.
“I would also appeal to the youth here to stand on your feet, say no to violence and embrace peace as elections draw near. We must not allow ourselves to be used anyhow by any group or individual in attaining their goals at the expense of the peace we enjoy today.
“This is not by any means discouraging the youth from involving in social activities but rather a caution to echo the need for youth to be promoters of peace. If the youth of today embraces peace and inculcate it into their dealings then we would be rest assured of a brighter future,” she said.
The Speaker of the Upper West regional Youth Parliament, Mr James Baba Anabiga, speaking to Info Radio at the sidelines of the event, indicated that the route march and rally by the Peace Council aligned with the peace campaign of the Youth Parliament which was launched earlier in the year.
“The main aim is, we want peace. Once we are taking every appropriate measure to ensure there is peace, any organization, any department, anybody, that has their objective in line with ours ‘to maintain peace before, during, and after the elections,’ we collaborate to ensure we achieve that,” he said.
The peace walk formed part of the “Atlantic Corridor Project: Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism” and was supported by the Danish Embassy, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), German, Australian and Norwegian Governments.
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