ADC-Michigan Launches Cyber Civil Rights Monitor

DEARBORN, Mich., June 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to the recent uptick in suicides resulting from cyber bullying, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) Michigan has created the first of its kind Cyber Civil Rights Monitor. The program supports victims of online harassment by positioning cyber assault as an offense on civil rights. The Cyber Civil Rights Monitor provides guidance, education, and advocacy for all victims of cyber bullying, regardless of age, ethnicity or religion.

The ADC Michigan's Cyber Civil Rights Monitor will:

• Address cyber bullying as an attack on an individual's civil rights.
• Lobby for legislation criminalizing cyber bullying, revenge porn, and other cyber sexual assaults.
• Raise national awareness of cyber civil rights.
• Promote cyber civil rights advocacy campaigns in schools and universities.
• Create an ADC Cyber Monitor to identify perpetrators and advocate for criminal prosecution.
• Create an ADC Michigan Cyber Civil Rights Task Force with broad based groups to empower victims of cyber sexual assaults and cyber bullying.
• Provide a venue for victims of cyber bullying to receive legal guidance and support.
• Promote an environment of tolerance online.

Attorney Fatina Abdrabboh, the Director of ADC-Michigan, said, "The violations in posting of inappropriate pictures of women and minorities without their consent should not be tolerated. There should be severe legal consequences to keep cyber hate crimes from growing at the current alarming level.  We are working to change that. The Cyber Civil Rights Monitor is a new dimension in our overarching goal of combatting all forms of hate, online and in our daily lives. The internet has too often been used as a vehicle for anonymous individuals and groups to engage in bigoted attacks that denigrate individuals based on their gender, lifestyle, ethnicity, or beliefs."

By providing a deep level of support to each case, and by providing educational outreach programs to members of the community, the ADC-Michigan aims to reduce the proliferation of abuse both on and offline. The organization believes that the Cyber Civil Rights Monitor is the most effective way of deterring cyber bullying, and of using existing legal structures that support civil rights to punish perpetrators. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of cyber bullying, please contact the ADC-Michigan at [email protected] or (313)-581-1201.

About ADC-Michigan: ADC is the largest Arab-American grassroots organization in the U.S. It is committed to supporting the civil rights of all people, and opposes racism and bigotry in any form.  The ADC-Michigan office represents the largest concentration of Arabs in the United States.

If you would like further information on the ADC-Michigan Cyber Civil Rights Campaign, or if you would like to schedule an interview, please contact:

Name:   Attorney Fatina Abdrabboh
Phone:  313-581-1201
Email:   [email protected]

Download the ADC-Michigan's Civil Rights app at: https://itunes.apple.com/US/app/id845123049?mt=8 or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=hr.apps.n164534307

SOURCE American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee-Michigan