OSCE Mission to Montenegro launches awareness-raising campaign against hate speech

The OSCE Mission to Montenegro launched an awareness-raising campaign against hate speech on 20 December. The campaign highlights the importance of advocacy efforts to stop hate speech online.

The campaign includes a video spot that will be broadcasted on two national TV stations and on social media. The video highlights examples of hateful comments on news portals and social networks, calling on the public to recognize, report and stop hate speech online. The video raises public awareness of how hate speech affects victims, strengthens safety and critical thinking when online and consuming media.

Dominique Waag, the Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, emphasized that supporting an assertive approach towards information is one of the ways to eliminate hate speech. “It is important that we join forces and co-operate in promoting the No Hate Speech approach. We need to be more aware of the impact spoken words can have, and the consequences they leave on people’s lives. Thanks to the co-operation with our national partners, the Mission continues to raise awareness on this important topic, emphasizing the need to keep all citizens safe in their daily lives,” said Waag.

Zuzana Paukova, the OSCE Mission’s Media Programme Manager said that hate speech presents a major challenge in today’s media landscape. “The Mission is committed to focusing its efforts to provide a space for freedom of expression, for an argumentative, decent and engaging discussion, decreasing the impact of hate speech and attacks on all citizens in all professions,” said Paukova. 

The campaign is part of Mission’s continuous efforts to enhance the public’s awareness of the importance of a safe and professional media environment in Montenegro.