Bangladesh's digital dream overshadowed by escalating cyber abuse targeting women: Report
Dhaka, June 26
As violence against women continues to escalate across Bangladesh, it is increasingly extending beyond physical spaces, travelling through phone screens, invading inboxes, and destroying reputations through fake profiles and manipulated images. The question the country must confront is no longer whether it is connected but whether that connection is safe, especially for women, a report has highlighted.
"Bangladesh dreams in digital. From mobile banking to e-governance, the country has spent a decade building the foundation of a modern, connected nation. The aspiration is genuine. But beneath this gleaming vision lies a truth that demands urgent attention: for millions of women, the digital world has become another unsafe street," according to an editorial report in Bangladesh's newspaper 'The Daily Star'.
Citing the landmark April 2026 UN Women study on the impacts of online violence, conducted across 119 countries, the report said that more than 27 per cent of women had received "unsolicited sexual advances or unwanted intimate images", while at least 12 per cent had their personal images shared without their consent. Perhaps the most alarming is the impact of the abuse, with over 40 per cent of women saying they had self-censored on social media to avoid harassment and 19 per cent had withdrawn from speaking out in a professional context.
Highlighting that Bangladesh is not insulated from this global trend, the report said that women who participated visibly in July 2024 protests became targets of coordinated cyber campaigns-"fake screenshots, morphed images, and sexual rumours"--used as weapons to intimidate them and force them out of the public space.
"The pattern aligns with what researchers document worldwide: technology is being consciously weaponised to silence women who dare to be visible. What makes Bangladesh's position particularly urgent is the gap between its digital ambitions and its protective infrastructure. Legal frameworks addressing cybercrime exist, but institutional responses have been largely ineffective," The Daily Star report mentioned.
"According to a 2022-23 study by ActionAid, nearly 65 per cent of women who filed complaints about online harassment saw no action taken. Many survivors also described being made to feel responsible for what happened to them," it added.
Emphasising that legal measures alone are insufficient, the report said that solutions must also involve cultural reform. It called for changes in platform design, building stronger media ethics that refuse to commodify women's trauma as entertainment, and incorporating digital literacy curricula that include consent, privacy, and the real-world harm of online abuse.
"Ultimately, a digital Bangladesh should inspire freedom, not fear. A country cannot celebrate technological progress while half of its population navigates the internet like a minefield. Until women can exist online without the threat of humiliation, harassment, or violence, the promise of a digital future remains precisely that: a promise not yet kept," it stressed.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who works in tech, I see this problem everywhere. The anonymity of the internet gives people courage to say things they'd never say face-to-face. Bangladesh needs better platform policies AND stronger community norms. Technology alone can't fix this.
The cultural reform part is key. In South Asian societies, we often blame the victim - "why did she post that?" or "she shouldn't have been so outspoken." We need to teach boys and men about consent and respect, both offline and online. It starts at home.
I'm a researcher who studies online abuse, and this report aligns with global data. The weaponization of images and fake profiles is particularly insidious because once something is online, it's nearly impossible to fully remove. Bangladesh has made great strides in digital inclusion, but safety must be built into the foundation, not added as an afterthought.
The part about women self-censoring is so real 😔 I know so many brilliant women who've reduced their online presence because they're tired of the harassment. We're losing their voices. Digital literacy programs that include consent and privacy are absolutely necessary - our girls deserve to use the internet without fear.
I lived in Bangladesh for 3 years and saw this firsthand. The July 2024 protest targeting is particularly concerning - using digital tools to silence political participation is authoritarian behavior. The government needs to enforce existing cybercrime laws properly, not just on paper.
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