Reform DSA to stop harassment of women

One might ask why women don't file cases under the DSA. According to data from Cyber Awareness Foundation, 30 percent of female victims don't know where and how legal action can be taken, and another 25 percent believe that no action will be taken if they file complaints with law enforcers.

— Rekha Chowdhury, vice president of Mahila Parishad

Although the Digital Security Act was enacted in 2018, the law is yet to play a significant role in curbing cyber harassment and bullying of women, said speakers at a webinar yesterday.

The law must be reformed and enforced properly in order to prevent all crimes in the digital space, including violence against women, rather than used arbitrarily to suppress dissent, they highlighted.

They made these observations at a webinar titled, "Digital Security Act: Women's Human Rights," organised by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP).

BMP general secretary Maleka Banu said there is gender inequality in cyberspace. With the increasing use of digital technology, women in the cyber world are being subjected to various forms of violence.

"We hope that the existing digital security act will be reformed and implemented properly to ensure the safety of women and protect the human rights of all citizens," she stated.

Rekha Chowdhury, vice president of BMP, pointed out in her keynote that although the law ministry at the time of implementation of the DSA had assured rights groups that the law would not be misused to harass anyone, in reality the number of such cases are increasing day by day.

Meanwhile, the law is failing to address women's concerns, she added.

"One might ask why women don't file cases under the DSA. According to data from Cyber Awareness Foundation, 30 percent of female victims don't know where and how legal action can be taken, and another 25 percent believe that no action will be taken if they file complaints with law enforcers," she said.

There are a total of eight cyber tribunals in Bangladesh. In order to establish women's human rights through the Digital Security Act, it is necessary to ensure proper investigation and proper enforcement of the law.

— Begum Maksuda Parveen, deputy secretary (district judge) of Law and Justice Division

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar, who was the chief guest of the event, said the Digital Security Act 2018 could not play an important role to curb crimes due to some limitations and misapplication of the law in recent times.

"It is possible to make necessary amendments to the law. But law enforcement needs to be vigilant in applying the law, in order to stop crimes in cyberspace, including stopping violence against women," he said.

He added that there should be a separate law to monitor social media.

Deputy Secretary (District Judge) of the Law and Justice Division, Begum Maksuda Parveen said cyber violence against women is increasing at an alarming rate.

She cited a survey by Plan International Bangladesh which found that 53 percent of women are victims of some form of cyber violence.

The Digital Security Act 2018 could not play an important role to curb crimes due to some limitations and misapplication of the law in recent times.

— Mustafa Jabbar, Posts and Telecommunications Minister

"There are a total of eight cyber tribunals in Bangladesh. In order to establish women's human rights through the Digital Security Act, it is necessary to ensure proper investigation and proper enforcement of the law," she added.

Speaking as a special guest, Shahriar Kabir, president of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, highlighted that no one had been arrested under the DSA after making violent, obscene and derogatory remarks against women in various digital platforms.

Referring to the recent communal incidents that were spurred by social media posts, he said fundamentalism, communalism and misogynistic attitudes run deep within the administration.

National Human Rights Commission Chairperson Nasima Begum NDC, in her speech as guest of honour, said the ongoing cybercrime and bullying against women should be monitored and controlled on social media.

The programme was presided over by BMP president Fauzia Moslem, and moderated by BMP advocacy and lobby director Jana Goswami.