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Cyber Crime as a New Form of Violence against Women: Case Study of Bangladesh
- For policymakers
- Summary created: 2024
Explores the rise of cybercrime as a pervasive form of gender-based violence in Bangladesh, with specific attention to its impact on women and girls’ safety, social reputation, and access to online spaces, highlighting challenges in legal and social responses.
In Bangladesh, where social taboos often prevent open discussion of violence against women, the expansion of online spaces has introduced new, largely unregulated forms of harassment that disproportionately impact women and girls. Mobile and internet penetration rates have surged alongside governmental initiatives to build a ”Digital Bangladesh,” creating opportunities for digital engagement but also broadening risks. With limited digital literacy, especially in rural areas, women face high exposure to cyber harassment, often encountering obstacles in reporting due to societal victim-blaming and institutional apathy. Cybercrimes targeting women-including revenge porn, non-consensual image sharing, and malicious impersonation-are normalized and frequently trivialized within this social context, with cases rarely receiving thorough police investigation or legal follow-up.
As online harassment rises, culturally entrenched stigma around gender-based violence discourages victims from seeking redress, leaving them to face lasting psychological and social consequences. The existing legal framework, which includes laws targeting cyber defamation and sexual harassment, is poorly enforced and mainly focused on protecting political figures from defamation, rather than protecting individual citizens from digital violence. Cyber harassment leaves women vulnerable to threats of blackmail, public shaming, and social ostracization, often leading to severe mental health impacts, reputational damage, and, in extreme cases, suicide. A lack of education around online safety, combined with language barriers and gendered cultural expectations, means that even digital literacy initiatives struggle to adequately equip women with necessary protective knowledge.
Insights
Cyber violence has emerged as a dominant form of gender-based violence in Bangladesh, with female internet users disproportionately targeted by online threats, harassment, and abuse.
Evidence
From 2013 to 2016, Bangladesh's Cyber Crime Tribunal recorded over 500 cases of cyber violence against women, with offenses including non-consensual image distribution, identity theft, and revenge porn. However, only a small fraction-fewer than 5%-of cases filed under the Information Communication Technology Act involved successful prosecution, reflecting major gaps in enforcement.
What it means
A lack of proactive legal protection and societal support allows perpetrators to act with near impunity, leaving victims with few avenues for redress and contributing to underreporting.
Revenge porn and unauthorized sharing of intimate images have become prevalent forms of online harassment, inflicting severe social and psychological harm on victims.
Evidence
In one high-profile case, a Bangladeshi actress was publicly shamed after her former fiancé released intimate videos following their breakup, causing significant reputational damage despite her legal attempts to have the content removed. Such cases reveal the deep social stigma that women endure, as victims are frequently blamed rather than supported by society and the justice system.
What it means
The threat of revenge porn creates significant emotional and social risks for women, reinforcing societal norms that restrict their autonomy and voice in both online and offline spaces.
Limited digital literacy and awareness of privacy settings, especially in rural and less-educated populations, increase women's vulnerability to cyber harassment.
Evidence
A survey among Dhaka university students showed that 53.4% felt technology facilitated easier access to pornography and online harassment. Many students also indicated that they had little knowledge of digital privacy tools, and often assumed social media was synonymous with ''the internet,'' reflecting a concerning gap in digital literacy.
What it means
Addressing the lack of digital safety education and literacy is critical for enabling women to navigate online spaces more securely and reducing their exposure to cybercrime.
Existing Bangladeshi legal frameworks inadequately address gender-specific forms of cybercrime, with laws like the Information Communication Technology Act focusing mainly on defamation against high-profile figures.
Evidence
Although laws exist to penalize online defamation and harassment, enforcement efforts have largely targeted defamation cases involving government leaders rather than cases of gender-based cyber violence. High-profile instances often dominate enforcement resources, overshadowing the need to protect individuals from harassment.
What it means
Prioritizing legal reforms that address the specific nature of cyber violence against women could enhance protections and create a more inclusive digital landscape.
Cultural stigmas and gender norms hinder women from reporting cybercrimes, resulting in significant underreporting and inadequate institutional response to gender-based digital violence.
Evidence
Many victims refrain from approaching law enforcement due to fears of victim-blaming, social ostracization, or ineffective police action, with family pressures often further discouraging them from seeking legal recourse.
What it means
Shifting social norms around victim support and gender roles is essential to ensuring that women feel empowered to report incidents and seek justice.
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