Purpose: At a time when social media and digital communication have a significant impact on our daily interactions, raising awareness of discriminatory language and discourse is a real challenge for public authorities. The sheer volume of information and the speed at which it appears on our screens makes it virtually uncontrollable. Inadequate legal frameworks further exacerbate our powerlessness against defamation and hate speech.
Stimulus: With this in mind, the 2018 edition of the Week Against Racism was themed 'Words That Hurt'. The aim was not only to identify, deconstruct and denounce such language, but also - and perhaps most importantly - to highlight positive uses of language that champion diversity and celebrate our plural identities through slam poetry, storytelling, films, workshops and conferences.
Process: In this context, the theme of the 2018 edition of Anti-Racism Week was "words that hurt". To identify, deconstruct and denounce them, of course. But also, and perhaps above all, to promote, through slam poetry, storytelling, films, workshops and conferences, positive uses of words that defend diversity and celebrate our plural identity. Geneva's Anti-Racism Week is coordinated by the Department of Agenda 21 - Sustainable City as part of the city's diversity policy. It is organised in partnership with the Department of Culture and Sport and the Department of Social Cohesion and Solidarity of the City of Geneva, the Office for the Integration of Foreigners of the State of Geneva and the voluntary sector.
Impact: Young people are particularly vulnerable to verbal violence. The 2018 Anti-Racism Week in the City of Geneva was therefore organised with the firm intention of encouraging young people to develop prevention tools. Another feature of the campaign was the active support of all the districts, which organised a number of excellent local events.
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