Civic Watch Cameroon has called for stronger collective efforts to combat hate speech and disinformation, warning that the growing spread of inflammatory content online poses a threat to social cohesion, democratic participation, and national unity. The call was made during a dialogue held in Yaoundé on June 18 to mark the International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
The event, themed “Hate Speech, Social Cohesion and Responsible Digital Citizenship,” brought together stakeholders such as Members of Parliament, traditional authorities, media professionals, and civil society organizations. Through panel sessions and question and answer sessions, the participants examined the increasing prevalence of hate speech and false information in Cameroon especially on the digital platforms, and their consequences for peace and stability.
In their presentations, key speakers explored legal, political, and institutional mechanisms available to address the phenomenon. The discussions also highlighted the need to strengthen media and digital literacy, particularly among young people, while promoting responsible online engagement and improving regulatory frameworks.
Speaking after one of the panel sessions, Hon Agho Oliver said: “… We can tell how hate speech is ravaging our communities so it is a real situation that needs to be fought by everybody.
“The anglophone crisis or socio-political crisis,” he added, started as a result of irresponsible management of information… this is a disease we need to fight with every bit of our strength.”
The dialogue underscored the role of digital citizens, media practitioners, policymakers, and community leaders in fostering respectful public discourse and countering narratives that incite hatred or discrimination. Participants agreed that tackling hate speech requires coordinated action from both state and non-state actors.
To Honourable Njume Peter Ambang, the regulation and framework alone are meaningless without enforcement. “The law on paper is not sufficient. It has to be implemented. By the time we get a few culprits punished for using hate speech it will reduce its use and promise social cohesion.”
Civic Watch Cameroon noted that the event served as a reminder that preserving national unity is a shared responsibility and that addressing hate speech remains essential to building peaceful and inclusive communities.
Media as an educator
Speaking at one of the panel sessions, Jude Viban, National President of the Cameroon Association of English-Speaking Journalists, CAMASEJ noted that media remains a key channel for propagation of hate speech, owing to ignorance and the lack of viable financial sustainability.
Calling out what he termed hypocrisy, he said it was important for the media to carry out genuine introspection and bring about the much needed change by placing truth and the collective good over personal and regional interests. The framework governing media organisation, ownership and functioning, he added, also requires an overhaul to guard against staining of the journalism practice.
The International Day for Countering Hate Speech, observed annually on June 18, was established by the United Nations to raise awareness of the dangers posed by hate speech and encourage measures to prevent and address its spread.
We are responsible for hate speech, so there is still room for us to use our voices to fight against this vice.
Hate speech destroys and peace builds. Let’s choose the latter for an accommodative society.