The news of frequent victimization of women in cyber space is not surprising indeed especially in a country like Bangladesh where most of the online users are amateur in computer literacy. Cybercrime is a relatively modern phenomenon in Bangladesh and can take many forms. It is diverse and ever evolving. Women are often lured by hoax messages and fake identities in social media and they fall prey to offenders in cyber space as well as the real world.
Cyber crimes that are commonly prevalent in social media are cyber obscenity pornography, cyber stalking, hacking, cyber defamation, and privacy infringement. According to the Cyber Security and Crime Division of DMP, 70 percent of cyber crime victims in Bangladesh are women and this highlights the vulnerability of women in Bangladesh no matter where they go, what they do, and how they dress and speak.
Over the last few years, the developments in technological innovation along with their easy accessibility have instilled a positive paradigm shift in the way we live. With the consequences of such a paradigm shift, cybercrime emerges as a curse of the electronic age. Born in the lap of new technological innovations and their intense intervention in every aspect of our life, cybercrime has become the talk of the time, thereby, cyber security—a demand of the time.
It is time to frame an updated and
integrated cyber security policy,
create adequate infrastructure, and
foster closer collaboration between all those
involved to ensure a safe cyberspace for women
Because of sheer lack of awareness about cyber crime, thousands of online users are becoming victims of cyber crimes. The numbers of such victims are increasing day by day. Experts assert that the main challenge in dealing with such cases and arresting the culprits is the delay in reporting to police. Many victims do not want to go to the law enforcers fearing that their identities would be revealed.
It is not easy to wipe out cyber crimes from the cyber space. The only possible step is to make people aware of their rights and duties reinforcing the application of laws to check cyber crimes. Moreover, people need to be sensitized about the problem. As cybercrime is an emerging threat and no one is fully secure these days, emphasis should be given on how we can control cybercrimes with continuous monitoring and act accordingly. In this regard, we need to quickly frame an appropriate and updated cyber security policy, create adequate infrastructure, and foster closer collaboration between all those involved to ensure a safe cyberspace for women.
Women are today and in the future going to be the main victims of cybercrime in Bangladesh. This is both threat and opportunity for legislators and those working to protect women in physical as well as
cyberspace. It is not beyond the capacity of either to work together for the betterment of half the population, a goal well worth striving towards.
