63.51% women in Bangladesh face online violence: Study

Some 63.51% women face online harassment and violence in the country, according to a study conducted by ActionAid Bangladesh.

The findings of the study were revealed in a discussion session titled 'Stop Online Violence Against Women: Challenges and Way Forward' organised by ActionAid Bangladesh, on Sunday (27 November) at BRAC Centre Inn, as a part of 16 Days of Activism to End Violence Against Women campaign. 

The study aimed to understand the rate of prevalence of online violence in the country. It focused on identifying different types of violence and harassment experienced or perceived by women on online platforms and sharing effective recommendations to prevent online violence against women in Bangladesh.

It was conducted through an online survey in six districts - Shatkhira, Sunamganj, Patuakhali, Bandarban, Kurigram, and Lalmonirhat, covering 359 female participants aged between 15 to 35.

According to the study, among the various digital platforms women mostly faced online violence in Facebook (47.60%), in Messenger (35.37%), in Instagram (6.11%), in IMO (3.06%), in WhatsApp (1.75%) and in YouTube (1.31%) in 2022. The combined score under the 'other' option comes as 4.80% and the said platforms or way of harassment mentioned are video calla, mobile phone texts etc.

Hateful and offensive sexual comments are ranked the highest among the types of online violence faced by women (80.35%) in the survey this year, followed by sending sexually explicit pictures to inboxes and asking to have sex (53.28%) and discrimination against women (19.71%). 

A total of 17.47% respondents said they were harassed by offenders who created fake ID in their name, 16.16% said their activities were always followed in cyber space and 13.10 % were victims of personal attack for speaking out on gay rights. 

Furthermore, 11.79% respondents said their private photos were posted on social media without their consent and 11.79% received threat of sexual assault. 

Some 3.06% of the respondents revealed that they were photographed or recorded during sexual assault and those were later posted in social media. 2.62% respondents said their picture of intimate moments was posted secretly and they were later blackmailed for money  with a threat to release their personal information. 1.75% said their photos were edited and published in pornography site. 

The study further found that most severe impact on women's life due to online violence is psychological trauma, including depression and anxiety' (65.07%). The second highest impact is loss of confidence in being active or expressing opinions in social media (42.79%). 

Being traumatised and losing self-dignity were reported by 25.33% and 24.89% respondents respectively. 

The study also revealed that emotional distress caused by online violence and harassment is narrowing down women's self-confidence and independence in a severe way.

The study explored that 14.91% women submitted formal complaints against online violence and more than 85% sufferers remained silent even though they are harassed online in many ways. 

Among the complainants, 44.12% filed complaint through social media reporting option, 20.59% through Facebook page of Police Cyber Support for Women- PCSW, 11.76% through National Emergency Service (999), 11.76% through nearest police station, 5.88% through Cyber Crime Investigation Division, CTTC and DMP. 

The study further revealed that most of the women think that the existing complaining mechanisms do not work. As a result, they did not show interest in submitting (28.87%) any complaint. 

To raise awareness about online harassment, abuse and risks, respondents suggested to ensure strict enforcement of law, quick and visible punishment, online and offline awareness campaigns and training to make mass people aware of safe digital media usage. 

Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh said, "Violence against women is not new and it still exists in various forms. Be it in family, society or state, women are oppressed in every field, and it has various manifestations. One of its new means is online given this is an era of technology and as a result online violence against women is increasing rapidly. Especially teenagers and girls below 18 years are mostly falling into the trap of online violence. If everyone works together, as this year's global theme signifies, violence against women can be reduced to a great extent."

Taslima Yasmin, assistant professor, Faculty of Law, University of Dhaka opined that technical assistance is required in addition to strengthening the legal process to resolve online violence.