My name is Safayet Hossain 24-year-old a university student living in Dhaka. I am aware of cyber violence and its impact but never thought that this going to impact my family or relatives. The story I’m about to tell is about my cousin (female). She was 18-year-old Girl, living in a small town in SYlhet. She was an introvert or shy to others that’s why the introduction of the Internet was a blessing in many ways. With strict parents who did not allow her to go out of the house alone: she was glad to have access to another world where there was no one overseeing her interactions or telling her what to do. Before long: she developed a relationship with a man who claimed to be working in a bank in Dhaka; with whom she shared intimate details of her life. After a few months of chatting: he demanded that she send him explicit pictures of herself. When she refused: his whole demeanor towards her changed: he began to send her highly inappropriate images and videos and make derogatory comments about her appearance and character. As a helpless girl tried to block and delete him from his friend list: he threatened to call her parents and tell them what a “whore’ she was. The images: threats and calls became more frequent and more offensive as days passed, and with no one to ask for help, who blamed herself for it all, finally reached her breaking point and attempted suicide.
Long story short end of the day here I am standing with her suicide note thinking this is not just a story of a single girl, it represents the image of the hazardous condition of our girls who directly or indirectly, extremely or poorly affected by cyber Violence. With the advent of technology the degree of cyber violence is increasing rapidly. Now it is a common concern of Bangladesh – is the girls are safe in cyberspace?
