The bill read that ghosting can be "likened to a form of emotional cruelty". (Unsplash/Representative)
A lawmaker in the Philippines has filed a bill seeking to declare "ghosting" - the act of ending communication with someone without explanation - an emotional offence.
According to the Washington Post, Arnolfo Teves Jr., a member of the Nationalist People's Coalition, said that ghosting causes trauma as it "develops feelings of rejection and neglect". He believes that the act should be considered abusive and should also be punished. Mr Arnolfo proposed the bill last month but shared it publicly earlier this week.
In the document titled "An act declaring ghosting as an emotional offense," the Filipino lawmaker claimed that ghosting is a form of cruelty prevalent in today's world. He stated that because of technology "the realm of dating has changed exponentially compared to previous years," which means that people are easily able to cut ties with one another without considering the other person's feelings.
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The bill read that ghosting can be "likened to a form of emotional cruelty". It also said that the act is "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausting" for victims. It can lead to "ridicule" and "humiliation" and the victims are likely to suffer emotional turmoil because of ghosting, Mr Arnolfo wrote in the proposed bill.
Separately, as per CNN Philippines, Mr Arnolfo said, "Studies have shown that social rejection of any kind activates the same pain pathways in the brain as physical pain, meaning there's a biological link between rejection and pain. That goes for friends and partners, alike."
"It can be likened to a form of emotional cruelty and should be punished as an emotional offense," he added.
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In an interview with the outlet, the lawmaker went on to explain that the emotional abuse caused by ghosting is also detrimental to the nation's productivity. He stated that if the worker is not in a good state of mind then their work will be affected. The lawmaker said that a penalty of community service for offenders to realise that ghosting is not right should be imposed.
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