Rights bodies call for legal action to combat online harassment of women

Rights-based civil society representatives on Saturday called for legal action along with widespread awareness to prevent sexual harassment against women and girls online, reports UNB.
They made the call at a virtual press conference organised on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women.
The press conference was organised by the National Committee for International Rural Women's Day Observation.
Speakers at the press conference emphasised that girls and women are constantly harassed through offensive content, leaks, extortion, hacking, and sexual harassment on the internet and the level of harassment is increasing day by day due to the lack of minimum knowledge about internet security.
The speakers also urged the use of various government 'help desks' for legal assistance as well as active prevention of cybercrime targeting women and girls.
Tamanna Rahman presented the keynote on behalf of the organisers at the press conference while it was chaired by Shamima Akhtar, chairman of the International Rural Women's Day Observation National Committee.
The press conference was moderated by Ferdous Ara Rumi of COAST Foundation. National Committee members Karim Box (Sirajganj), Manju Ara Parveen (Khulna), Md Enamul Haque (Jamlpur), Khondokar Faruque Ahmed (Mymensingh), Syeda Shamima Sultana (Dhaka). Mahin Khan (Manikganj), Mustafa Kamal Akanda (IRWD-Secretariat) and others also spoke.