INTERNET HARASSMENT AND ONLINE THREATS TARGETING WOMEN
Naila Rind, a student of University of Sindh in Jamshoro, who supposedly killed herself in her hostel. A top student in her Masters class, Naila, was found hanging from a ceiling fan inside room no. 36 in Marvi hostel.
According to the police, a lecturer in a private school at Jamshoro was blackmailing Naila with her pictures and videos for three months. – Dawn Newspaper
Naila was blackmailed
Let’s get to the bottom of Naila’s suicide.
According to the initial investigation and First Information Report (FIR) copy, it turns out Naila was cyber blackmailed by a man named Anis Khaskheli.
Police officials say this lecturer in a private school at Jamshoro, was blackmailing Naila with her pictures and videos for three months.
After the blackmailing became too much for her, Naila took her life.
This is exactly the kind of situation the law was intended to address, so why are all the law implementation authorities, from the police to the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), so ill-informed about how to deal with the situation?
By assigning the task of enforcing a law relating to cyber harassment, stalking and bullying to a highly centralized federal agency with regional offices confined to Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar, the Ministry is failing to reach women like Naila Rind.
Bullying is used to humiliate,threaten, oppress, torture, and bully someone. It can be defined as a continuous abuse of power or authority against an individual or a group in a given social setting with the intention to causes physical, emotional and/or social harm. If behavior similar in nature takes place online, it is called cyber bullying.
About 32 million of Pakistan’s 180 million people use the Internet. About 12 million people are on Facebook and some 2 million uses Twitter. Women face online threats worldwide, but Pakistan is one of the top country where women targeted through internet in highly ratio. Pakistan has a 22nd highest rate in cyber bullying. Forms of harassment can vary widely,from name-calling and trolling to constant stalking and shaming to entire sexual and death threats.
Now a day’s, Facebook blackmailing threats are often. But when it is needed to register the case, Parents of female victim never register the complaint because of the fear of defamation and calumny, even if Facebook trace the data.That’s why the register cases are in very less quantity.
According to FIA Officials:
“If parents will not support and don’t register the complaint against the culprit and if culprits don’t arrest they will blackmail others. That’s why the blackmailing threats in Pakistan is increasing day by day” FIA Official
According to FIA Official “if parents did not register the complaint than we don’t arrest the culprit”
Sources at FIA revealed that 90% of social media harassment cases are being reported out of which 80% are pursued and only 5%are able to reach to the FIR stage after which the courts come into scene.
According to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), in 2014-2015 time, 3,027 cyber crimes cases were came, 45 percent of those targeted were women using Facebook. Pakistanis are more defenseless to bullying online.
Violation of cyber-crime laws in Pakistan can result in the following punishments:
· Up to three years imprisonment, Rs1 million fine or both for unauthorized access to critical infrastructure information system or data.
· Up to seven years imprisonment, Rs10 million fine or both for interference with critical infrastructure information system or data with dishonest intention.
· Up to seven years imprisonment, Rs10 million fine or both for glorification of an offence relating to terrorism, any person convicted of a crime relating to terrorism or proscribed individuals or groups.Glorification is explained as “depiction of any form of praise or celebration in a desirable manner”
· Up to six months imprisonment, Rs50 thousand or both for producing, making, generating, adapting, exporting, supplying, offering to supply or importing a device for use in an offence.
· Up to three years imprisonment, Rs5 million fine or both for obtaining, selling, possessing, transmitting or using another person’s identity information without authorization.
Here we have fielded a survey from women between the age group of 17-40 year old. We use data to better understand what they are thinking, doing, and experiencing.We promote evidence-based and research-inspired policies and procedures.
Most of the people who don’t even know what are cyber crime bill or what are their objectives.
Social media in Pakistan saw an increase in the number of cases pertaining to privacy violation. The increasing broadband propagation combined with the state of mind of the criminally-minded individuals has resulted in 116 FIRs, hundreds of inquiries and thousands of complaints.
Cellphones and other mobile devices continue to be the most popular technology utilized by women. Facebook remains the most frequently cited social media platform used on a weekly basis, but Whats-app, Twitter and Snap-chat are increasing in popularity. Ask.fm, Chatroom Apps, Video Chat remain largely unpopular among this age group.About 32 million of Pakistan 180 million people use the Internet, the group said in its report,mainly on mobile telephones. About 12 million are on Facebook and some 2 million uses Twitter, domestic media say.
The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is a border line counter intelligence and security agency under the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan, tasked with investigative jurisdiction on undertaking operations against terrorism, surveillance, smuggling and other specific crimes.
Nighat Dad is a Pakistani lawyer and Internet activist who runs the non-profit organization Digital Rights Foundation. She also work for cyber harassment cases and she launched Pakistan’s first Cyber Harassment Helpline started its operations on December 1,2016. People finds it a great pleasure and helpful. The Help Line number is: 0800-39393 (Mon to Fri, 9am – 5pm)
When we ask over Nighat Dad “Does FIA play their vital role to stop these blackmailing threats in Pakistan?” She replied
“Yes, the FIA is the agency given the power to deal directly with the cases of cyber harassment and cyber crime in general under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016. They are required to file and investigation these cases if a complained comes to them.”
Nighat Dad (Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation)
When we took a survey from women about what they think that women targeted through online threats is just because of boldness of women in social media. Some women gets exhausted and said “Not really, because everyone live according to themselves and no one has right to change and boldness is not a bad thing but however some people take it negatively”
According to Nighat Dad the basic need to stop this cyber harassment:
Cyber Harassment impedes women’s right to speech their ability to participate on cyber spaces, results in psychological distress and can even lead to offline violence. Cyber Harassment does not happen to women only; it happens to men, religious minorities, human rights defenders and women journalists”
Nighat Dad (Executive Director of Digital Rights Foundation)
The basic need to stop these black mailing threats is the awareness at school,colleges, universities, and cooperate level and strong law. We need to re-visit the PECA 2016 law. It’s a weak law in respect of its implementation we need to cut short the process of complain. We need to reduce legal formalities.
Saqib Sageer Crime Reporter at Jang
–Iqra Ashiq
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