“In a country where women actively participate and contribute to the economy in many professions; the only sector where women’s absence is strikingly visible is the political arena. This is due to the unwillingness of women, coupled with the lack of opportunities for women, to participate in politics. Although there are other socio-economic factors, I believe that the main reason for the unwillingness of women to participate in politics is the fear of being subjected to verbal violence and harassment stemming from misogyny on a community-wide or even, nation-wide scale. Due to that reason, even competent and capable women are reluctant to make use of the limited opportunities available to pursue a career in politics and take part in decision-making. In fact, even without mentioning specific examples or statistics to support my claim, the mere mentioning of such verbal violence and harassment would make any Sri Lankan know exactly to which I am referring. That alone shows how grave, engrained and arguably, to my utter dismay, even normalized the verbal violence and harassment of female politicians are in our society. How long are we going to make empty promises? How long are we going to advise young women who have ambitions to participate in politics, “to have thick skin”? Isn’t there an obligation on us as law-makers, as civilized people living in a democratic society, to take steps to counter hate speech?”
Hon. Dr. Surdarshani Fernandopulle,
Chairperson, Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus
“The prevalence of verbal violence and harassment against women and other vulnerable communities has always been a condemned, yet ignored, issue in Sri Lanka. However, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that such verbal violence and harassment against women have multiplied in immeasurable numbers. In the pandemic-hit society, online existence with regards to work, school and even entertainment became the new normalcy as people did not have the opportunity to leave their homes and were rather confined to stay in their homes and associate limited people. Thus, the internet became a necessity for us to live. As more and more people started to use online platforms, verbal violence and harassment also increased in numbers. Not only that, online platforms also give the opportunity to reach a global audience. That essentially means that now hate speech can be conducted on a global-scale which further threatens the well-being and safety of targeted individuals and communities. As many online platforms, especially social media platforms, are unregulated or inadequately regulated, the opportunity to disseminate hate speech without any consequence acts as a driving force in aggravating online hate speech. Since more children use online platforms now, there is an imminent need to take active and effective steps to counter the proliferation of hate speech in social media and other online platforms.”
Hon. Kokila Gunawardena
Member of Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus
“Hate speech is and has always been a setback in our democratic society. However, I find it ironic that as cowardly as a wild duck, the proliferation of hate speech that abuses and threatens targeted individuals or particular communities, is often conducted cowering behind the concept of “freedom of speech” which is a corner-stone in any democracy. But it is crucial to understand that “freedom of speech” does not give you the right to spread hate, abuse and violence against another person. In fact, the fundamental right to speak which is guaranteed under the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka in itself is not an absolute right that cannot be ever violated. There are certain exceptional circumstances where the right to free speech is not guaranteed. When living in a society, we have rights but we also have obligations. It is important for all of us to understand that your enjoyment of rights cannot be at the cost of another person’s life and well-being. I wholeheartedly believe that we need to undertake more measures to combat and counter hate-speech in a more active and effective way. We must welcome research to assess the current situation and develop a national policy that would allow our stakeholders to collaborate and co-ordinate in combatting and countering hate speech”.
Hon. Thalatha Atukorale
Member of Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus
“Hate speech against vulnerable communities, women in particular, unfortunately has set deep roots in society. However, with the increase in the usage of the internet, particularly during the global pandemic, the issue has magnified to an unprecedented and concerning degree, as more and more people access the internet regularly to conduct their affairs, including for entertainment purposes. We found that complaints against online harassment increased to a record high during this period as more and more people, parents in particular, feeling utterly helpless, became concerned about their safety upon being subjected to hate speech online. Hate speech is often justified and presented under the pretext of ‘freedom of thought and expression’. The right to free speech is a fundamental right that is guaranteed under the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. As the right to free speech is the foundation from which many other rights emanate, it is a corner-stone in any democracy. However, it is by no means an absolute right. In fact, the Constitution itself recognizes that there can be exceptional circumstances under which the right to free speech could be justifiably derogated. Particularly, in instances where the freedom of speech comes at the safety, well-being and dignity of another person(s). When you live in a society, you have a duty to behave in a responsible manner. Hurling abuse, spreading hate and inciting violence against targeted individuals or communities should not be tolerated as the “ways of the world”, and should not pass without consequences. I believe that Sri Lanka should examine its legal framework applicable to combatting and countering of hate speech, and revise such framework accordingly, especially, in view of the recent exacerbation in the proliferation of hate speech due to online media”
Hon. Mrs. Diana Gamage
Member of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus
“Though we claim to live in a civilised society, it is sad to hear that ‘hate speech’ is still a prevalent issue in society. Therefore, Hate Speech should be eliminated. Knowing women encounter hate speech on a daily basis is even more depressing. It is a misconception that a woman can tolerate hate speech simply because they are females. Nevertheless, I myself have been subjected to such vulgar and hateful statements in the recent past in the Parliament of our country. I am not the only and the first Member of Parliament to encounter such hate speech. Members of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus including me have been constantly subjected to such hate speech. But our parliament has not woken up from its deep slumber and maintains a dormant policy in this regard. On this International Day for Countering Hate Speech, I take this opportunity to convey the message that we the members of Parliament have a responsibility to update the laws pertaining to hate speech.”
Hon. Rohini Wijeratne
Vice Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus
“Hate speech has become a weapon to bully, harass and intimidate individuals and communities especially through social media. What is particularly dangerous is how targeting particular individuals or communities – especially women, sexual minorities, ethnic and religious minorities has resulted in acts of physical violence. On the other hand, laws that ostensibly seek to regulate or prevent hate speech have also been used selectively to intimidate and silence political opponents by those in power. While we need laws, we must also ensure the independence of the judiciary so that the law doesn’t in itself also become part of the problem. Also, what is urgently required is social dialogue and awareness on how to prevent and respond to hate speech”.
Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
Member of the Women’s Parliamentarian’s Caucus
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