In the era of digital transformation and rapid progression of the Technology becoming one of the most powerful tools from daily life to the bigger picture of the Socio-economic development. Needless to say, Information Technology (ICT) is a very resourceful sector. Bangladesh′s ICT industry has been developing consistently over the past three decades. It was just a few years ago that women in Bangladesh were less interested in the sector.
| Fiscal year |
Value of export Growth rate (compared to previous year) | |
| 2002-03 | 4.20 | 50.0 % |
| 2003-04 | 1.19 | 71.2 % |
| 2004-05 | 12.68 | 76.4% |
| 2005-06 | 27.01 | 113.0 % |
| 2006-07 | 26.08 | (-3.4) % |
| 2007-08 | 24.82 | 35.9 % |
| 2008-09 | 32.91 | 32.59% |
| 2009-10 | 35.36 | 7.44% |
| 20010-11 | 45.31 | 28.24% |
Source: Bangladesh Bank
Their participation was not prominent. But, recently, people’s attitude towards the sector has changed for the better or worse in some cases.
In this digital era, the use of mobile phone and internet is increasing so various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp etc. are gaining popularity day by day for social and personal communication. In these sites online spaces are so open and there is nothing like private. So anyone of any ages can be a victim of cyber violence but girls are the worst victim of this deviant social crime and now a days, It is increasing in Bangladesh. This type of online bullying is unlike traditional bullying following the girls from classroom or campus to the secrecy of their bedroom, from the time they wake up to the moment before sleep, anytime they may face it with e-mail, texting, recording by social media or communication media. Girls are targeted mostly by licking their personal information, personal images or videos or simply by threatening them if there is any hostile relationship or rejection of love or sometimes there is no reason but just for his or her own intention who wants to bully other.
Generally, Cyber violence means the act of irritating someone with the intention of harming others. Cyber bullying is that kind of bullying that aims to harass or harm others by using information and communication technology such as cell phones, computer, tablets etc. with the blessings of availability of internet connection to the all sphere of people. It involves oppress someone through internet websites like Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, E-mail etc. by posting or sending text messages, photos, videos or by derogatory comments to someone. Cyber bullying, can be branded also as electronic bullying or online brutality is the act of frequent, deviant and oppressive actions by using computer and communication technology targeted to threat, or harm others.
Hinduja and Patchin defined cyber violence as a “willful and repeated harms inflicted through the use of computers, cell phones and other electronic devices”
According to Belsey “cyber bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated, and hostile behavior by an individual or group that is intended to harm others”
Cyber violence is defined as online behaviors that criminally or non-criminally assault, or can lead to assault, of a person’s physical, psychological or emotional well-being. It can be done or experienced by an individual or group and happen online, through smartphones, during Internet games, etc. Even though cyber violence takes place online, it affects people offline and has real world implications. Some examples of cyber violence include but are not limited to: online harassment, threatening, bullying, blackmailing, unwanted sexting, stalking, hate speech, luring, non-consensual sharing of image, recording & distribution of sexual assault.
It entails the harassment of apprentices by using social media websites, text messages, E-mails and other technology. But now days, this deviant behavior is not only confined with students but also people of all ages can be the victim of cyber bullying due to the advent of communication and technology. Among them Teen girls are mostly targeted by cyber bullying. The increasing oppression of teenage girls due to cyber bullying highlights the needs of analyzes the oppression that occurs through the use of online. Cyber bulling has not a single sphere. There are different forms of cyber bullying.
Figure 1: Common forms of cyber bullying
- Cyber Harassment: Cyber harassment is very offensive form of cyber bullying that refers to repeated sending of fearful, hurtful or rude text messages from various social networking sites and devices. It includes licking the personal messages or personal information of the victims.
- Denigration: Denigration is such type of bullying which include posting humiliating comments on someone images or about someone which may make him or her upset and stressed. The victims affected by this type of bullying may keep herself far from her family and friends.
- Masquerading: Masquerading is a condition that a bully creates a fake identity to harass someone secretly. By creating a fake personality, the bully can imitate someone by sending offensive and obscene messages. A bully can affects someone by belittle her reputation and status keep himself guise.
- Flaming: Flaming is similar to harassment, but it refers to an online fight exchanged via emails, instant messaging or chat rooms. It is a type of public bullying that often directs harsh languages, or images to a specific person.
- Exclusion: This includes make someone leaving out from a specific group and then spread unfavorable comments about the leaving person
- Outing: If a bully spread someone’s personal images, messages, information or videos in public sites from a revengeful intention, this can be called as outing.
- Cyber stalking: Cyber stalking is the most harmful form of cyber bullying can be compared with sexual harassment in cyber world. This includes send someone obscene sexual pictures or videos or messages.
Most cases of cyber bullying in Bangladesh are occurred by using this popular media of social networking sites. Moreover, our present world is fully depended on the use of digital devices like mobile phone, computer, internet etc. With the advent of technology, use of internet is rising day by day. In this digital era, we cannot think of a single day without various social networking sites.
The present government of Bangladesh has special focus on Information and Communication technology, with the proclamation of “Vision 2021”, government vowed to make a “Digital Bangladesh” by providing internet access to all people. Cyber violence is a relatively recent phenomenon that can have significant consequences for young people’s wellbeing due to the precise technological affordances of social media. The use of mobile phones and the internet has grown at a tremendous rate in this century. With the advent of mobile, wireless Internet access, communications have become more universal. As a result, Cyber bullying can happen any time and any place and for many girls.
With the advent of technology especially for the different social networking media, cyber bullying is increasing day by day. This study measures the level of occurrence of cyber bullying through different social networking sites.
Figure 2: The level of cyber media connected to bullying
Study shows that Facebook is the most used device of cyber bullying. About 58% of the total respondents claim Facebook for bullying, 23% claims instant messaging, 10% claim phone call and 9% of the total respondents claim WhatsApp, Twitter and other social networking sites for cyber bullying.
Facebook are very popular media in our country and at present most of the people of Bangladesh have a Facebook account. Many adolescents girls are victimized by using Facebook for example; by spreading their personal pictures or videos, in most cases this are edited from the real version to make obscene in order to belittle her, or by posting rude status or comments on someone’s picture or posts, in a word there are many elements by which one can intentionally degrade anyone. Besides this, the rest other social networking sites, blogs, voice recordings, dangerous websites, abusive e-mail, personal websites all can be considered as a platform by which cyber violence can be occurred anytime with anyone. The ways the young women are presented in the social media such as Facebook and the system they display and positioned themselves in which the young boys are potentially internalized by adolescent girls who have been exposed to a culture which is highly sexualized. The display of self and body via Facebook and other social media encourages the bully to seek harm of others.
Bangladesh is not so developed in internet facilities, so the problems or crimes caused by the development of internet and communication technology are now in an evolving stage. They also stated that the victim of the cybercrimes are not conscious about the problem and they should become more concerned that how to prevent and tackle the problems.
In order to digitalize Bangladesh there is no substitute to secured technological expansion among which tenable internet using should prevail in priority. Cyber bullying is turning into a new social problem. As women or girls are the most agonized tools in any kind of harassment, they have to pay great sufferings for sharing or posting their photos, videos or information or sometimes just for prevailing in cyber world. In this paper we explored multifaceted causes and long term impact of cyber bullying on our personal, family or social life. Computer and technology is the fabricator of cyber bullying and we believe that by computer and technology, this problem can be mitigated. A wide range of tactics and interventions are accessible but we need more assessment for the application of the strategies. An effective legal framework is needed and the culture of maintaining law should be established. Individuals actions, family support, social supports, legal procedures, everything have a great part to act to mitigate the problem.
Footnotes
http://www.projectsprofile.com/posts/related_three.html
https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2019/03/13/women-of-bangladesh-in-the-digital-era
https://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Bully/245002
Hinduja, S. &Patchin, J. W. (2009). Bullying beyond the schoolyard: Preventing and Responding to cyber bullying. Sage Publications: Corwin Press
https://techwithoutviolence.ca/cyberviolence
http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jpag/article/viewFile/10132/8348
