Harrowing stories of online harassment of women and girls

Shahariar Islam Sovon :

CORE CAUSES BEHIND ONLINE ABUSES

Absence of rule of law
Trolling culture
Lack of legal protection
Power dynamics
Limited digital literacy
Individuals engage in harassment as a form of revenge against others

Online harassment against women and girls in Bangladesh is going up due to the trolling trend, power imbalances, such as gender, race, or social status, and the lack of legal protection.

Wishing anonymity, a victim told The New Nation that Bangladesh has laws against cyber bullying and harassment, although they are not always strictly enforced, and many victims may be reluctant to report occurrences for fear of social humiliation or penalties.

Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Professor of Dhaka University, Dr Mizanur Rahman, told The New Nation that due to the fact that most children don’t get enough time from their parents, it can be difficult for them to talk to their parents about all of their personal problems.

“The harsh reality is that the rule of law is not properly established in our country; therefore, Bangladesh witnesses a dramatic increase in the rate of online harassment,” he continued.

According to Dr. Mizan, upholding the rule of law is difficult because of political interference, economic instability, and corruption.

‘Every institution and office has already received an order from the High Court (HC) to establish a “sexual harassment committee” he said. Regretfully, the majority of the establishments consistently disregard the HC directive.

Additionally, committee members are not always unbiased. In this case, how can we identify the source of the issue? ‘We should ensure separation of power, he added.

‘Parents should spend more time with their children and without their proper cooperation online harassment rate will not be reduced’ Former Chairman of NHRC recommended.

To raise awareness about online harassment he suggested ensuring strict enforcement of the laws, quick and visible punishment, online and offline awareness campaigns, and training to make mass people aware of safe digital media usage.

As social media platforms are used by greater numbers of individuals, cyber bullying is growing constantly.

Although children and young people are the primary targets of cyber bullying, other groups including employers, educators, and workers also experience this problem.

Cyber bullying is an offense that is penalised by the Digital Security Act of 2018 and the Information and Communication Technology Act of 2006, not merely something that is discouraged.

Meanwhile according to the ActionAid survey, 228 out of 359 women, or 63.51 percent, reported having experienced online violence.

That means around 64 out of every 100 women have to face online harassment and violence in some form in Bangladesh.

This is an increase from the prevalence rate of 50.19%, a result from last year’s survey conducted in November 2021.