Staff Reporter :
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund UNICEF) on Tuesday said, 32 per cent of children aged 10 to 17yrs are in danger of cyberbullying and digital harassment in Bangladesh.
It laid emphasis on concerted action to tackle and prevent online violence against children and youths in Bangladesh, where the internet population have witnessed exponential growth since 2000.
The call came after a recent Unicef poll of young people and suggestions from a series of student-led #ENDviolence Youth Talks held around the world on Tuesday.
On Safer Internet Day, the UNICEF unveiled an UNICEF Bangladesh-commissioned study titled “Online Safety for Children in Bangladesh.”
Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar was present at the programme as the chief guest held at Janata Tower in Dhaka ogranised by the UNICEF on Tuesday.
The study said the country’s online population is getting younger by the day; with children as young as 11 using the internet on a daily basis.
It surveyed 1,281 children (aged 10-17)-from schools, colleges, and madrasas-who use internet, and found that 25 percent of them (aged 10-17) started accessing the digital world below the age of 11. In Bangladesh, boys (63 percent) are ahead of girls (percent) in terms of frequency of online access and use. Ten percent have been exposed to religiously provocative content, but those aged between 16 and17 had been exposed to such content more frequently than other groups of children.
The use of private rooms-as a primary use of the internet by 63 percent of the surveyed children-indicates the prevalence of less supervised internet use, the report noted.
Chatting and watching videos were found to be the two most-frequent internet activities, with 33 percent chatting online and 30 percent watching videos daily.
Shockingly, the study revealed that 70 percent boys and 44 percent girls admitted to befriending unknown people on online. A number of the respondents said they had met the online “friends” in person, risking their safety.
“We have heard from children and young people from Bangladesh and around the world and what they are saying is clear: The Internet has become a kindness desert,” said Edouard Beigbeder, the Unicef Bangladesh representative.
“That is why this Safer Internet Day, Unicef is following young people’s lead and inviting everyone to be kind online, and calling for greater action to make the Internet a safer place for everyone, especially children.”
‘Tip the balance for good’
Older children may be more exposed to cyberbullying than younger ones, but children-in general-are not immune from harmful content, sexual exploitation and abuse.
Cyberbullying can cause profound harm as it can quickly reach a wide audience, and can remain accessible online indefinitely; virtually ‘following’ its victims online for life.
Victims of cyberbullying are more likely to use alcohol and drugs, plus skip school, than other students. They also are more likely to receive poor grades and experience low self-esteem and health problems.
In extreme situations, cyberbullying has even led to suicide.
“Thirty years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the creation of the World Wide Web, it is time for: governments, families, academia and, critically, the private sector, to put children and young people at the centre of digital policies.
“By protecting them from the worst the Internet has to offer and expanding access to its best, we can each help tip the balance for good,” said Beigbeder.
