Call for cyber bullying awareness

By REBECCA KUKU
A LONGTIME Papua New Guinea resident and Institute of National Affairs executive director Paul Barker has called for more awareness on cyber bullying and its consequences following suicide by a 24-year-old women.
The woman was made fun of and ridiculed on social media so she decided to end her life, a relative said.
Barker said more awareness on cyber bullying should be done by the government, churches and other civil society actors.
He also said that awareness on cyber bullying should also include parents, who may be far less familiar with the internet and social media than their children.
“One isn’t meant to be scared of the internet, as it can provide immense personal, education, business and other opportunities, but, as with all technology, whether aircraft, cars or agricultural machinery, it comes with various hazards, of which users, parents and the wider society must be aware of and prepared,” Barker said.
“It’s very sad to read this story of a young woman, who expressed herself in a seemingly amusing and harmless way, showing disappointment over certain minor nuisances in life and some frustrating political realities, together with a photo of herself to reinforce her message.
“I don’t know if it’s been confirmed that she took her own life, but going on what’s reported, it’s certainly tragic that a simple expression of views should escalate to such a sad consequence,” Barker said.
“Policing against all aspects of cyber bullying is still challenging but we, as a society, can at least warn young people about the consequences of online bullying.
“Everyone needs to be very aware of the risks as individuals or parents, teachers and community members with respect to both conventional and the new era of cyber bullying.
“More young people especially are locking themselves away in a world of online so-called ‘friendships’ and interaction, where bullying and being bullied can be readily occurring without parents of family or teachers being aware of it as they tend to be in the face of physical bullying.”
Barker said that more awareness should be done to prevent such cases from happening again.