Facebook accused of promoting 'rape culture' after refusing to remove pages joking about sexual assault

Facebook has been accused of promoting 'rape culture' by women's rights activists (picture posed by model)

Facebook has been accused of promoting rape and ‘rape culture’ by British and American women’s rights activists. The claims came after the social networking site refused to remove pages that feature jokes and apparent confessions of sexual assault posted by users. Pages such as ‘You know she’s playing hard to get when your [sic] chasing her down an alley’ have been featured on a petition for removal, signed by more than 3,600 people in the UK and 175,000 in the US. The petition titled ‘demand Facebook remove pages that promote sexual violence’ was set up on US website Change.org. The petition reads: ‘Facebook’s own Terms of Service prohibit content that is ‘hateful, threatening’, or contains ‘graphic or gratuitous violence’. ‘Moreover, users are specifically barred from posting content that aims to ‘bully, intimidate, or harass’ any user. ‘Facebook needs to clarify that pages that encourage or condone rape – like the ones mentioned – are in violation of their existing standards.’ Jane Osmond, who campaigned on behalf of the UK petition, told The Guardian: ‘This is hate speech, I find it very disturbing that Facebook don’t appear to see the connection between pages such as this and the prevailing rape culture we have in our society. But Facebook say their site is ‘a place where people can openly discuss issues and express their views’ and have refused to remove the pages. Facebook said: ‘Direct statements of hate against particular communities violate our statement of rights and responsibilities and are removed when are reported to us. ‘However, groups that express an opinion on a state, institution, or a set of beliefs – even if that opinion is outrageous or offensive to some – do not by themselves violate our policies.’ Hate legislation in England and Wales states that content is not illegal unless it creates hatred on the grounds of race, religion or sexual orientation. Ms Osmond added that although she understands offensive material can be posted on the internet, she feels society needs to reflect on what is responsible. She said: ‘Maybe as a society we need to progress the dialogue about what is freedom of speech and what responsibilities do we have to certain groups of people.’ Facebook added to their defence that similar content including jokes about rape can be found elsewhere online. Comedians such as Russell Brand and Jimmy Carr have also included jokes about sexual assault and rape in their dialogue in recent years. http://www.dailymail.co.uk