The pandemic has seen a significant increase in cyberbullying cases in India, especially involving women. The National Crime Records Bureau figures show a 36% increase in cyberstalking and cyberbullying cases in India post the pandemic. Research shows that women, girls and people from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) community who access digital spaces face a disproportionate range of abuse from trolling to threatening or harassing phone calls. Covid has seen an increase in the use of digital spaces and, with it, cyber harassment which causes deep social and psychological distress to victims. The effect of all this is not just in the harm faced by the victims but also in solutions proffered like limiting access to phones or actively decreasing digital use, all of which are detrimental to women’s rights.
While the scars of online abuse are not easily visible, it is a threat to the well-being of women. (Shutterstock)
But there are also efforts by civil society and non-governmental organisations to tackle this, apart from, of course, the law. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) Point of View has taken up this issue and it has worked to make more readily available information on digital safety and security, especially in regional, non-text-based mediums so that women, girls and other gender minorities are able to access and explore the digital space more freely. It has piloted TechSakhi, an informational helpline, to answer queries on digital safety and provide support for those facing online abuse or violence. This is one effort, and we need many more like this to counter this insidious form of harassment and bullying.
Bishakha Datta, director, Point of View, says, “While our helpline has been able to provide support to many women, queer, trans and non-binary persons, as soon as our helpline launched, we received a flood of calls — a number of them from men who proceeded to harass our responders. This is one of the most common themes our responders deal with--phone harassment.”
A mother of two from Uttar Pradesh (UP) who did not wish to be named approached TechSakhi saying that she had been getting a lot of abusive calls from unknown numbers. She had blocked the number, only to find that the harassers began calling from random numbers.
The platform offers solutions: Block the number, use apps that can tell you the name of the caller like TrueCaller and screen the call, take on the caller and threaten to go to the police or take legal action. However, the caller can always circumvent a blocked call and call from another number as happened with the victim from UP. Even if the caller identity is found, the calls may not stop. Reporting it to the police or engaging in legal action is a lengthy process, which most victims are unable or unwilling to undertake.
These are limited solutions as telecom companies do not have reporting mechanisms for harassment. Sohini Banerjee, co-lead for TechSakhi says that their responders were subject to such harassment themselves in the beginning. “We have made changes in our call processes, communications and messaging, and taken other measures that have reduced this harassment and provided support to our responders. However, this experience demonstrates the need for effective reporting and accountability mechanisms for phone harassment.”
While the scars of online abuse are not easily visible, it is a threat to the well-being of women. To encourage safe digital spaces, the government must address this issue in partnership with NGOs with expertise in this field. Strengthening the cybercrimes cells and bringing in experts would be a good first step at this time.
Lalita Panicker leads the opinion section at Hindustan Times. Over a 33-year career, she has specialised in gender issues, reproductive health, child rights, politics and social engineering.
E-Paper
