Pink Shirt Day unites councils across the country against cyber bullying

Hamilton City Council has released a new video against online bullying for Pink Shirt Day this year. Photo / Supplied

Councils across the country united to take a stand against online bullying for last week's national anti-bullying event Pink Shirt Day.

In a two-minute clip released by Hamilton City Council, staff from 17 councils across New Zealand take turns to read some of the abusive messages they receive.

Hamilton City Council has already released a similar video for Pink Shirt Day last year, where council's Communication and Engagement Team read just a few harmful messages. It is the council's most-viewed video with more than 6000 views.

The outpouring of support from the community and other local government organisations for the previous video has inspired council to issue a nationwide callout, chief executive Richard Briggs says.

"It was confronting and powerful. And this year's video is even harder to watch. But we know that to create real change we need to be bold and continue to take a stand."

The video is a reminder that – as with all social media accounts – there are real people behind council channels. The people reading those comments are someone's grandparent, parent, sibling, child, or friend.

Briggs says: "Some of the messages staff receive are horrific – we've had staff in tears and these comments truly can ruin days. Every council probably experiences this and today has been a chance for us to join forces and unite against this new and scary form of bullying."

Council receives thousands of comments and messages through Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram every month – and many are positive. But the growth of digital channels has also led to a sharp rise in abusive messages. Especially when it comes to controversial issues, it's often staff taking the brunt of people's anger.

Since last year's video, the council has made changes to its social media policy, taking a harder stance on inappropriate comments. It's also more proactive with hiding comments and messages that break its terms and conditions.

"We want our pages to be a space that encourages conversation, but there's a line that shouldn't be crossed. There's always someone reading those messages and no one should ever have to put up with that kind of abuse. We ask people to think before they type," Briggs says.

You can watch the video here. To find out more about Pink Shirt Day, click here.