A seminar on women’s cyber security was held at Shamsun Nahar Hall of Dhaka University with the participation of more than 150 students. Mahfuza Liza, Special Superintendent of Police (Internal Affairs) of the Special Branch of Bangladesh Police was the panelist in the expert panel chaired by the provost of the hall Dr. Lafifa Jamal.
“If students receive any offensive or threatening messages through text messages; if rumors are spread online about them, if threatening posts or messages are spread on social networking websites, they must make a GD at the police station and report online if possible,” she sussested.
Associate Professor at the National Institute of Mental Health Dr. Mekhla Sarkar, Dhaka University Shamsun Nahar Hall Provost Professor Dr. Lafifa Jamal, Mahbuba Sultana, Coordinator of ‘Take Back the Tech (TBTT)’ Bangladesh Chapter and Kaniz Fatema, Vice President of Bangladesh Women in Technology (BWIT) were also present at the seminar, held on Thursday evening, May 26, 2022.
Current students rely heavily on online education, entertainment and lifestyle. The more online media is used, the greater the problems in the cyber world. Therefore, issues related to cyber security are discussed through organizing seminars. Topics covered include protection from fake links and cybercrime, cyber security, online harassment, crime, and solutions, cyber bullying, the psychology of cybercriminals, and the use of language on social media.
Violence against women is on the rise in the cyber world as the multidimensional use of technology, including the Internet, becomes more accessible. 68% of women in the cyber world are victims of cyber-crime. In our country, women between the ages of 16 and 24 are usually the victims of cybercrime. 73% of women are bullied online. In most cases, women do not express their concerns; Rather become emotionally upset.
The panel discussion was jointly organized by Bangladesh Women in Technology and Bangladesh Open Source Network. Shamsun Nahar Hall, Dhaka University collaborated with their venue.