Rights campaigner Ain o Salish Kendra found that more than 500 incidents of cybercrime, 70 per cent of them, women, were recorded in 2021. Lack of importance to children’s mental health, domestic violence, absence of sexual and reproductive health, shrink of family bonding and moral teaching, and lack of cyber awareness, are the most prominent reasons behind the increase in cybercrimes. In two-thirds of the incidents, victims are women and children.
According to a data from the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, 49 per cent of school children in the country are regular victims of cyberbullying. At least 4,675 cybercrime cases have gone to trial since 2013. The organisation also revealed that Police Cyber Support for Women was contacted by 17,770 victims for support in just one year of operation, while it could provide necessary legal advice and assistance for 8,331 victims. Undeniably, lack of monitoring and online vigilance incidents continued unabated and went unpunished. Law enforcement agencies’ prejudiced attitude in taking actions over cybercrime issues, accused turning out to be a ruling party man etc. are the reasons behind the increasing rate of cyberbullying. Lack of awareness due to illiteracy of the guardians as they are not aware what kind of effects technology can have on their children.
We know, most children and women are reluctant to go to the police station to lodge complaints. Restricting the internet cannot alone solve the problem, rather we must ensure that children are using the internet safely. The government may apply internet protection measures in a variety of ways, including but not limited to jail and monetary fines, among other things. In addition, the ministry may apply a number of restrictions on access to the internet. When it comes to some situations, there would be no need to appear in court or talk with the authorities. All must work together to ensure that the internet environment is safe and stable for everyone.
