How Facebook can help to foster an inclusive discourse in Myanmar

Description: 

"[Editor?s note: Tea Circle will be taking a break over the Thingyan holiday. We will return on 23 April and will run our annual ?Year in Review” series through the month of May.] As the main platform of information and communication for most people in Myanmar, Facebook has a social responsibility to promote its safe and responsible use. Facebook has been beneficial for connecting friends and families within Myanmar and across the world. Unfortunately, it has also been a platform used to spread hate speech, rumors that Muslims are not Myanmar citizens, and, in some cases, messages provoking violence. Since August of last year, over 700,000 Rohingya civilians have been forced to flee Myanmar into neighboring Bangladesh with reports of widespread atrocities, including, murder, rape, and arson of their homes. The United Nations has called this a textbook case of ethnic cleansing, referring to it as a possible genocide and as constituting crimes against humanity. Many in the international community are hoping for the refugees to be repatriated, but for many Rohingyas, they are fearful for their safety, that they will still not be accepted as part of Myanmar and that, upon their return, they would have to remain in camps without freedom of movement or equal rights. Most people in Myanmar have never met a Rohingya person, but nonetheless many express an unfounded hatred, refusing to recognize their citizenship as fellow brothers and sisters, and some even supporting their displacement..."

Creator/author: 

Kyaw Sint

Source/publisher: 

Teacircleoxford

Date of Publication: 

2018-04-12

Date of entry: 

2018-04-16

Grouping: 

  • Individual Documents

Category: 

Language: 

English