By Lutfi Dervishi
A 41-year-old woman, mother of 4 children, has fallen victim to bullying, from anonymity on tik tok and from the non-functioning of justice.
After going through a year-long ordeal of harassment/humiliation on the social network, the 41-year-old decided to end her life.
Her ordeal started in December 2022 when she sought protection in the house of law, reporting to the police what was being done to her on TikTok. The victim did not know that the author of this online nightmare lived in Italy. Today, the police say that the report of the deceased has been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office. This reaction is more than clarification, it is justification. Justice delayed is justice denied. This saying today sounds more than ironic.
The epidemic of cyberbullying on TikTok is not an isolated incident and the tragedy chronicles a forewarned murder.
“Murder” that starts with the language that public figures use in public, with the space in the media that is given to idiots and with the “legitimacy” of anonymity and online hate speech.
The Durrës event sheds light on the dangers that virtual life carries, where anyone can fall victim to cruel attacks that lead to tragedy.
It is enough to read some anonymous comments to understand to what degree the public discourse has reached and what “normality” the language of hate has acquired.
In the absence of a normality in the public sphere, in the absence of a normality in the Parliament, in the absence of a normality on TV, many people look for some kind of escapism in social networks and from the rain fall into hail, prey to anonymous aggressors.
While the consequences of unchecked online bullying are clear to all, it’s time to do something, beyond online whining. The reaction to throw him this turn only raises the question: whose turn is it?
It’s time for online stalkers to get the message that “anonymity” will no longer be a shield/hunting permit. Anyone who commits meanness online should be punished.
In the name of “freedom of speech” you cannot take the life of another.
The media has a lot to do especially with the tolerance it has given to anonymous, parents have a lot to do to inform their children what is behind the glamorous facade of social networks, society has a lot to do to understand the impact/weight of words like on the road as well as online
Legislators can do the job by making concrete commitments.
Those who appear anonymous online should understand that digital footprints are indelible and not as invisible as they think.
Taking swift and strong action against perpetrators of online harassment, especially when anonymity is used as a shield, sends the right message: such acts will be met with the full force of the law.
The tragic loss of the 41-year-old’s life is a reminder that the fight against anonymity and derogatory comments on the Internet is not a technological challenge, but a moral demand of the time.
