Amid the growing incidents of cyberbullying in the country, Bangladesh Police on Monday launched a new unit to ensure the safety of women in the cyberworld, reports UNB.
Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed inaugurated the new police wing, 'Police Cyber Support for Women', at the Rajarbagh police lines.
Women can avail of the services of the police wing through its Facebook Page (Police Cyber Support for Women PCSW), email ([email protected]) and hotline (01320000888). It will receive complaints of harassment against women in the cyber world, and provide suggestions and legal advice and support to the service seekers.
Speaking at the programme, the IGP said the newly-launched wing will deal with the risks of the cyberworld and keep the country's women safe in cyberspace.
"Cybercrime is a boundaryless crime. Women are the most harassed in the cyberworld. Of them, women aged between 16 and 24 years are the worst sufferers," he said.
Benazir said the country is moving forward in terms of technology under the leadership of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. "Around 110 million people in the country now use cell-phones while 70 million others use the internet."
He said the availability of technology is causing various problems alongside helping the nations move forward. "Sixty-eight per cent of women in cyberspace are subjected to cybercrimes. So, this service of the police has been launched to deal with those problems."
The IGP said the biggest benefit criminals get in the cyberworld is that they can harass women by keeping their names, identities and countries secret. "This's a new form of digital harassment against women. This's the same picture not only in Bangladesh, but also elsewhere in the world."
Referring to a study, he said 83 per cent of women are being victims of cyberbullying. "Many people open fake IDs of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google, and open fake online portals and blogs to spread false propaganda and malign people."
Benazir said there are many laws, including Digital Security Act, Pornography Act, Telecommunication Control Act and ICT Act in the country to contain the cybercrimes.
"The government has enacted all these laws to make the cyberworld safer. So far, 6,099 cases have been registered under these laws for different cyber-related crimes," he said.
The IGP said all the officers of Police Cyber Support for Women will be women so that the victims can feel free to share their problems. "All the investigation officers of the unit will also be women."
He said the victims can seek support from the newly-formed police wing by dialling 999 from any part of the country free of cost.