80% of Cyberbullying Victims Are Women: Speakers

Bangladesh has a high rate of cyberbullying, and 80% of the victims are women aged 14-22.

And a majority of the cybercriminals and hackers fall between the age range of 16-17.

Additional Deputy Police Commissioner Nazmul Alam of Cyber Crime Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said this at the webinar ''Safe Cyber Space for Women'' organized by Article 19 Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Professor of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering of University of Dhaka Dr Lafifa Jamal said, ''80% of the risk can be avoided if the internet users can be made more informed.''

And children and adolescents need to be sensitized to the do's and don'ts of the internet, he added.

''Also, women need to understand that passwords of social media accounts are personal and should not be shared with anyone, not even with their partners,'' Lafifa said.

Tech Solutions Managing Director Naznin Nahar said, ''We need to ensure a friendly environment for women victims of cybercrime at police stations or other complaint centres.''

Sadat Rahman, who won the International Children’s Peace Prize 2020 for developing the anti-bullying app ''Cyber Teens,'' said he started working on the issue after the suicide of a teenager who fell prey to cyberbullying.