Saint Dominic.-Disinformation, hate speech and digital attacks systematically affect both journalists and vulnerable population groups in the Dominican Republic.
This is revealed by the report carried out by the More Rights project made up of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Ciudad Alternativa, Center for Women’s Research and Action (CIPAF) and the Comprehensive Center for Local Development (CIDEL) with co-financing from the European Union, entitled “Dynamics of hate speech on social networks: findings to advance in the guarantee of rights”, whose surveys were carried out on social networks and blogs.
The report analyzed more than 652,000 posts and comments on platforms X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and blogs, evidencing patterns of hostility and widely spread discriminatory narratives.
According to the survey carried out among journalists, 89% claimed to have witnessed hate speech on social networks, while 83% claimed to have been a direct victim of these attacks during their professional practice.
Likewise, 54% indicated that they have been the target of disinformation or misinformation in the performance of their duties.
The results also show that the majority of people surveyed (53%) identify as content producers, followed by editors (15%) and reporters (13%).
Asked which groups are most affected by misinformation, journalists pointed out Haitian migrants first (68.9%), followed by LGBTIQ+ people (53.3%) and women (46.7%).
The most affected
Also among the most affected were Dominican people of Haitian descent and politicians (40%), as well as the media (37.8%), churches (28.9%) and the United Nations system (22.2%).
The report details that, according to the journalists consulted, sexual orientation (73.9%) is the main trigger of hate speech in the country, even surpassing immigration status (65.2%).
The latter continues to be a recurring argument to justify the rejection of people of Haitian origin.
Socioeconomic status (60.9%), political opinion (52.2%) and nationality or statelessness (50%) complete the list of factors that most fuel hate speech in Dominican society.
The findings reveal that 59% of multiple responses indicated that hate speech directly affects the physical safety of vulnerable groups, while 52% considered that the most serious impact falls on mental health, generating fear, isolation and emotional stress.
Low preparation
The investigation also detected weaknesses in professional preparation to confront misinformation.
47.8% of journalists admitted to being “very little” or “only moderately prepared” to respond efficiently to cases of harmful information.
Even so, 75% reported having covered events related to disinformation or hate speech in the last year.
67.4% acknowledged needing more training in digital monitoring and social listening tools, considered key to counteracting the spread of toxic content.
Although the study analyzed more than 652,000 posts with harmful elements, the researchers warn that this represents a small percentage of the total digital interactions in the country, approximately 2.89%, suggesting that the toxic conversation, although highly visible, is driven by a small group of accounts, mainly on the X network.
The report indicates that many of these profiles have links to public and private sectors and are considered “anti-rights.”
Violent messages
Within the affected population, pregnant Haitian women were identified as the main recipients of discriminatory and violent content.
The speeches usually accuse them of “burdening” the Dominican health system, spreading diseases or abusing public services, narratives that – according to the investigation – lack support and respond to xenophobic patterns.
Overall, 68.9% of comments with elements of hate, hostility or violence were directed at Haitians, including children and postpartum women.
Although only 4.3% focused specifically on Dominicans of Haitian descent, it is likely that some of that content was grouped within the same discriminatory narrative.
The study indicates that the crisis over the construction of the canal on the Masacre River, which broke out in September 2023, caused an exponential increase in hate speech against Haitian migrants.
Attacks
—Crying out to Trujillo
In the midst of bilateral tensions, publications circulated that vindicated the figure of the dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo and the massacre of 1937, while expressions such as “let them all go” became recurrent.
This is how the UN defines hate speech
Characteristics. The United Nations (UN) defines hate speech as referring to offensive speech directed at a group or individual and that is based on inherent characteristics (such as race, religion or gender) and that can endanger social peace.
It can be embodied in any form of expression, including images, cartoons or illustrations, memes, objects, gestures and symbols.
It can be spread both on and off the Internet.
It can only be addressed to individuals or groups of individuals.
Communications that may exist between States and their offices, symbols or public officials, nor between religious leaders or dogmas of faith, are not included.
