Cyberbullying is not OK—Finally!
The much-awaited and the controversial bill to curb cyberbullying and better support victims, passed its third and final reading in Parliament with overwhelming cross-party support. “Replacing New Zealand’s bullying culture with a culture that says it is not ok to bully and intimidate other people will not happen overnight but this is an important step,” said MrDavid Rutherford, Chief Human Rights Commissioner.
“All New Zealanders need to buy into changing our culture of violence: but it won’t happen unless all of us buy into it. Bullying isn’t just happening on the sidelines of sports games or in classrooms: it’s 2015; we need to address the bullies who torment and bully others on social media platforms and this law change is a good start.”
The Harmful Digital Communications Act introduces a range of measures to address damaging online communications and ensures that perpetrators are held account for their actions. New Zealand has the highest instances of bullying among the OECD with numerous instances of cyberbullying. There have been numerous reported incidents where bullying on the Internet has driven young adults even to the limit of taking their own life. Then there have been others like the “roast busters”. Other instances of bullying with racism are also commonly heard of among the young ones.
“Kiwis need to understand that it is a basic human right to be free from bullying, violence and harassment. All of us, particularly our children, have a right to be safe. Bullying is a major human rights issue and one we need to talk about, address and challenge,” said Mr Rutherford.
“Balancing the rights to freedom of expression with the need to protect people— particularly vulnerable young people—is never easy but it is imperative if we are to strengthen the human rights of all New Zealanders.
“More broadly, this law contains a careful balance—new initiatives to help people deal with some of the challenges of online environments, along with penalties for those who cause harm,” says Jordan Carter, Chief Executive of InternetNZ.
“We all recognise the harm that can occur online. However, dealing with this harm must involve workable processes and not damage free speech or expression online,” said Carter.
The Harmful Digital Communications Bill introduces a range of measures to address damaging electronic communications spread through methods such as emails, texts and social media posts. Justice Minister Amy Adams says the law changes will prevent and reduce the potentially devastating harm caused by cyberbullying and other modern forms of harassment and intimidation.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a number of alarming incidents that have highlighted the need for legislation to deal with perpetrators who use the internet in ways that traumatise victims. “This Bill tackles cyberbullying head on. Under existing laws, trying to remove abusive, intimidating and distressing material from the internet can be difficult, drawn out and costly, and there are few sanctions available to aid such efforts and to hold offenders to account.
“The measures we’re bringing in will simplify the process for getting harmful communications of the internet quickly and effectively, while still respecting free speech rights,” says Ms Adams. The Bill will:
-Establish an Approved Agency to resolve complaints in a quick and efficient way
-Give the District Court the power to issue take-down notices and impose penalties
-Provide online content hosts with an Safe Harbour process for handling complaints
-Make it an offence to send messages and post material online that deliberately cause serious emotional distress
- Fill a gap in the law by creating a new offence of incitement to commit suicide that applies where the person does not attempt to take their own life
-Amend existing laws to clarify that they apply to communications, regardless of whether tormentors use online or offline means, and future-proofing the laws against technological advances.
Once the Bill is enacted, thenew criminal offences and the Safe Harbour provision will take effect immediately, and work will begin to select the Approved Agency.
The much-awaited and the controversial bill to curb cyberbullying and better support victims, passed its third and final reading in Parliament with overwhelming cross-party support. “Replacing New Zealand’s bullying culture with a culture that says it is not ok to bully and intimidate other people...
The much-awaited and the controversial bill to curb cyberbullying and better support victims, passed its third and final reading in Parliament with overwhelming cross-party support. “Replacing New Zealand’s bullying culture with a culture that says it is not ok to bully and intimidate other people will not happen overnight but this is an important step,” said MrDavid Rutherford, Chief Human Rights Commissioner.
“All New Zealanders need to buy into changing our culture of violence: but it won’t happen unless all of us buy into it. Bullying isn’t just happening on the sidelines of sports games or in classrooms: it’s 2015; we need to address the bullies who torment and bully others on social media platforms and this law change is a good start.”
The Harmful Digital Communications Act introduces a range of measures to address damaging online communications and ensures that perpetrators are held account for their actions. New Zealand has the highest instances of bullying among the OECD with numerous instances of cyberbullying. There have been numerous reported incidents where bullying on the Internet has driven young adults even to the limit of taking their own life. Then there have been others like the “roast busters”. Other instances of bullying with racism are also commonly heard of among the young ones.
“Kiwis need to understand that it is a basic human right to be free from bullying, violence and harassment. All of us, particularly our children, have a right to be safe. Bullying is a major human rights issue and one we need to talk about, address and challenge,” said Mr Rutherford.
“Balancing the rights to freedom of expression with the need to protect people— particularly vulnerable young people—is never easy but it is imperative if we are to strengthen the human rights of all New Zealanders.
“More broadly, this law contains a careful balance—new initiatives to help people deal with some of the challenges of online environments, along with penalties for those who cause harm,” says Jordan Carter, Chief Executive of InternetNZ.
“We all recognise the harm that can occur online. However, dealing with this harm must involve workable processes and not damage free speech or expression online,” said Carter.
The Harmful Digital Communications Bill introduces a range of measures to address damaging electronic communications spread through methods such as emails, texts and social media posts. Justice Minister Amy Adams says the law changes will prevent and reduce the potentially devastating harm caused by cyberbullying and other modern forms of harassment and intimidation.
“In recent years, we’ve seen a number of alarming incidents that have highlighted the need for legislation to deal with perpetrators who use the internet in ways that traumatise victims. “This Bill tackles cyberbullying head on. Under existing laws, trying to remove abusive, intimidating and distressing material from the internet can be difficult, drawn out and costly, and there are few sanctions available to aid such efforts and to hold offenders to account.
“The measures we’re bringing in will simplify the process for getting harmful communications of the internet quickly and effectively, while still respecting free speech rights,” says Ms Adams. The Bill will:
-Establish an Approved Agency to resolve complaints in a quick and efficient way
-Give the District Court the power to issue take-down notices and impose penalties
-Provide online content hosts with an Safe Harbour process for handling complaints
-Make it an offence to send messages and post material online that deliberately cause serious emotional distress
- Fill a gap in the law by creating a new offence of incitement to commit suicide that applies where the person does not attempt to take their own life
-Amend existing laws to clarify that they apply to communications, regardless of whether tormentors use online or offline means, and future-proofing the laws against technological advances.
Once the Bill is enacted, thenew criminal offences and the Safe Harbour provision will take effect immediately, and work will begin to select the Approved Agency.
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