"We have to choose between abuse online or loneliness in lockdown": People with learning disabilities take a stand against hate crimes
Charities in the West Midlands report a 40% surge in reported abusive comments online since the start of lockdown.
Learning disability charities across the West Midlands are reporting a significant increase in the number of reported abuse online and are now challenging social media platforms on how they deal with discrimination towards disabled users.
The campaign "Action Against Facebook" is aiming to challenge the way users are able to report discrimination targeted at those that have additional needs and disabilities.
Coventry Youth Activists are a group of young people working to raise awareness and change for those with learning disabilities who face discrimination every day. They say the 'issue needs to be taken more seriously'.
They want to challenge the fact that currently within Facebook's reporting menu there is no option relating to disability hate speech or discrimination which means that at the moment the only available category to choose is "Other" which they believe is unfair and makes this type of discrimination look acceptable or less of an issue compared to other types of discrimination.
The activists, who are aged between 14 and 28, are calling for the global social media company to:
- To provide accessible and transparent detail on Facebook’s reporting process
- To ensure there are people with lived experience of a disability on Facebook’s Oversight Board
The group says it has spent months researching the experiences of the people and families who have faced discrimination and abuse on Facebook, including Harvey the 18-year-old disabled son of ex-glamour model Katie Price, which they claim has not been taken down after being reported.
Sophie Greener, community organiser for Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire, said: “Facebook has proven it can act swiftly on a momentous scale when it suits the platform.
“For example, restricting access to news to almost an entire continent overnight amidst the Australian Facebook news ban. Yet in the case of our activists, who experience hate and death threats for being disabled on a daily basis, it’s incredibly difficult to get Facebook to take action. That can’t be right
“We haven’t heard back from Nick Clegg yet, but he is in America and eight hours behind. We won’t stop until we have a response!”
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