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New guidelines for online hate crimes.

New guidelines have been issued to crack down on online hate.

Online hate has reached epidemic proportions and the Crown Prosecution service has recognised the problem by recognising online hate in the same was as they would if committed face to face.

Stating that tweeting abuse can be equally devastating as shouting it out in public, I think they are close but in some ways online hate can be worse than face to face because of the audience size and the longevity of comments online.

Many people do not recognise the impact a comment online will have on someone, instead finding it funny or insignificant, because it is all too easy to do, and does not require confrontation, having children of my own I see the growth in anonymous platforms for abuse, in fact some apps have been created to make comment anonymously!

The New guidelines state that cases should be pursued with a ‘robust and proactive approach’, but exception should be given to children who perhaps do not realise the implications of posting something online which could be a hate crime.

Consideration must also be given to freedom of speech in a democratic society.

The latest set of figures showed that the CPS prosecuted over 15,000 hate crimes in a 12-month period, it is estimated that the actual number of crimes is substantially higher with many victims not having the confidence to come forward.

Online hate will only get worse if it is not clamped down on, one way could be to increase prosecution rates but this must be backed up by education in our schools; plus the social media giants also have a responsibility to tackle the problem, by working with the authorities and educating its users.

New guidelines for online hate crimes.
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