KUWAIT CITY, June 22: A total of 24 civil society organizations in Kuwait, led by the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, announced the launch of “a civil society declaration to confront hate speech and incitement to hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Kuwait”, reports Al-Seyassah daily.

In a press statement, the society said the world is facing an unprecedented crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which renders safeguarding of human rights a challenge for every country.

It stressed that, “This is not the time to neglect human rights, but the time that we need them more than ever to get past and overcome this crisis with dignity and respect”.

It explained that the Kuwait Society for Human Rights, based on its belief in Kuwait’s role in supporting peace, justice and equality in the whole world and its commitment to a culture of tolerance and non-violence, has proposed the articles and items of the declaration and presented it to a number of experts and public utility societies for consultation.

Everyone agreed to them and expressed their desire to announce their commitment to human rights and publicly denounce all forms of violence, hate speech and incitement to hatred.

Board Chairman of the society Khaled Al-Ajmi said the issuance of the declaration is a sense of responsibility for civil society organizations in Kuwait to face the threat of widespread hate speech and incitement to hatred during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that social media is infested with such speech which feeds more divisions.

He revealed that the declaration includes seven articles, all of which emphasize the rejection of hate speech and incitement to hatred, and the fact that everyone stands against societal division.