Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Cyberbullying: Is it already happening in Papua New Guinea?

Cyber-bullying is a new (new type of bullying in PNG Context refers to recent introduction of new technologies in the country) type of bullying that involves the use of technology(Smart Phones, Tablet PCs, Computers) with access to the internet to bully others. The tools used by cyber-bullies include instant messaging(chats),emails, text message, websites and video chats. Social networks such as facebook.com and others are utilized dailly by cyber-bullies to attack their victims. For example,"Police are trying to locate a woman identified as Louisa Hainter, who allegedly posted defamatory remarks against Singut on the social network Facebook"(http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2011/05/ex-miss-png-fights-pornography-claims.html).
The victims are always known to the perpetrators.These include the use of verbal abuse, obscene languages, obscene images that target the victims base on their physical appearances, race, gender, age, academic status and social status such as unable to fit in with the others. For example, a girl who is doing extremely well in her academic work can be a prime target for other girls who dim themselves inferior and therefor can be abuse by these jealous girls.

Is cyberbullying actually happening in Papua New Guinea? There is no research carried out so far to ascertain the extent of cyber-bullying in Papua New Guinea. However, it would be safe to say that with the increase access to cheaper smart phones and tablet pcs (eg. I Pads) with internet capabilities by young Papua New Guineans and the increase use of  social networking sites such as facebook, it could happen right under the noses of their parents.One of the clear example that cyber bullying is already occurring in PNG society is the current bribery and extortion against the well known TV presenter and former Miss PNG- Antonia Singut(http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/2011/05/ex-miss-png-fights-pornography-claims.html). Fortunately for Antonia, her parents and family members were very supportive and assisted her throughout her ordeal.It shows that not only ordinary Papua New Guineans can be affected but well known and respected Papua New Guineans are also not immune to bullying from unscrupulous human beings. This is only the tip of the iceberg but there are countless young Papua New Guineans out there that are constantly being bullied online daily without their parents knowing. Further, it should be noted that young Papua New Guineans are not even aware that they are being bullied. They take it as part of the everyday PNG culture. For example, many young Papua New Guineans think it is normal to swear at someone using the 'f' or 'c' words.

What makes this extremely difficult is that not many Papua New Guinea parents are ICT literate ;or if they are ICT literate they are not aware of the dangers that their children are facing everyday while on the net. I am a facebook user and I use this social networking site everyday. My experiences and my interaction with other facebook users has shown that most facebook users are young Papua New Guineans and most of them are school children ranging from Primary Schools to Tertiary level.

The huge advantage that cyber bullies have over other forms of bullying is that with the help of the technology bullies follow you where ever you go right into your bedroom or even right under the noses of your parents as long as you are online. Further, cyber-bullies, thrive on the ignorance of parents, educators, law enforcement authorities such as the police and even the victims themselves. There is no clear policy in place to assist victims in areas such as counselling or through legal means. There is no clear guidelines to assist Papua New Guinea children in particular to follow to seek assistance.( If there is such a guideline I am not aware of it). School authorities and the Department of Education need to carryout awareness to educate school children in light of the increase use of technology such as smart phones in particular and internet access in the country via these devices which may fuel the increase in cyber-bullying.

Why talk about Cyber-bullying? Cyber-bullying like the ordinary bullying can have drastic negative effect on the victims' lives. The victims can be psychologically affected.They can have long term emotional and behavioral problems and can affect their normal every day lives. They can even commit suicide if they feel that the world no longer cares for them. The victims such as school children can easily give up going to school. The victims themselves in future can become criminals because of the state of their mental health. In countries such as the US for example, innocent school children have been gunned down by victims of bullying.

What should parents and teachers in Papua New Guinea do to prevent cyber-bullying from occurring?

  • If you are a parent try to spend some time discussing what your children are doing on-line and what sites they are visiting. Encourage them to discuss their social networking experiences and likely abuses from cyber-bullies.
  • Encourage your children to record the instances of abuse and the date and time it occurs.This will become handy if you decide to take legal action in the future.
  • As a teacher- a teacher needs to carry out awareness on the positive and negative effects of technology such as smart phones and internet. This will enable the children to make correct decisions while using these technologies.
The following websites are established to assist victims of bullying; and also those who want to know more about bullying; or those who wish to assist victims but require additional information to do so. Some of these websites are set up by victims of bullying and their horrifying experiences should provide valuable lessons for everyone.



Posted by at 1:59 PM

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)