Like scores of other people in Delhi, a 25-year-old journalist was searching for a hospital bed. Her father was Covid positive.
“My phone number which was posted on Instagram went to a lot of sources and eventually ended up in the wrong hands,” she said. “One morning I woke up to three-four video calls from an unknown number. Upon inquiring, the person said he got my number from a social media platform and wanted to have a chat. Having to run around for beds in this dire situation, I did not pay heed and let my family members deal with it. However, despite warnings, he approached me once again after a few days through a different number. Dismayed and angry I shouted at him.”
The harassment stopped, but it was an unnecessary hassle that could have been avoided, said the woman.
Internet platforms have been flooded with posts by women, particularly since the onset of the deadly second wave of the pandemic, talking about incidents where they were sent unsolicited pictures and messages by unknown people as a response to their pleas for help.
In April, a social media user put out a post, narrating how she had been harassed by unknown men even as she was struggling to find a ventilator bed for a Covid-positive family member.
Amid the medical emergency, the woman was hounded by video calls from men, some asking her to go on a date while others simply harassing her to a point that she was compelled to switch off her phone.
Covid Legal Support Network, an association of lawyers providing free legal aid to people reporting Covid-related crimes, contended that the above-mentioned scenario falls under the domain of online stalking, cyberbullying and harassment. However, Shouvik Kumar Guha, assistant professor at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata, was of the opinion that at times the cyber cell of police may refuse to lodge a complaint on the grounds of the medium through which the crime was committed.
“When a victim shares her contact number on social media and a perpetrator uses that number to send unwarranted pictures and messages over the phone, it becomes a matter of conjecture whether that should fall under cybercrime or sexual harassment. Regardless of cyber law, we have the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which aims to serve the purpose. Under section 354 A and section 354 D of the IPC, anybody who is making sexually coloured remarks or is intending to exact sexual favour by forcing a conversation will be punishable by law with imprisonment up to three years along with a fine,” he said.
One can also avail women’s helplines, 100, 1091 and Abhayam helpline at 181, which is solely intended to serve women, and where they can avail counselling if needed, added the professor.
News 18 reached out to at least five women undergoing this trauma and found that despite facing abuse they were apprehensive about contacting the police or taking a legal recourse.
Top cybercrime consultant Mukesh Choudhary attributed this to a host of factors ranging from lack of faith in the police, limited or no knowledge about cyber laws, or fear of public humiliation.
“Victims fear coming to the police station, and with Covid looming over one’s head, the reluctance has increased. Secondly, people are unaware of the process. I often come across queries where victims ask if they need to pay in order to file a complaint. Whatever is the case, an FIR must be filed in the local police station immediately after the incident so that action can be taken without delay. In case adequate action by the station is not taken, a senior officer should be informed,” he told News 18.
A person can also report such a matter at an all-women police station or call a women’s helpline if she feels uncomfortable talking about the alleged harassment with a male officer, suggested the cybercrime consultant.
The ongoing instances of harassment were condemned by the National Commission for Women, which on Wednesday put out a statement urging women to report such instances.
“It is unfortunate that even in these hard times when the country is battling a pandemic, women are being subjected to harassment online. Online abuse of women indicates the discrimination that exists in our society and the National Commission for Women has time and again tried to address the issue through consultations, deliberations and discussions. Any woman who has been a victim of online harassment can approach NCW anytime with her complaint to its email address [email protected],” Rekha Sharma, NCW chairperson, told News 18.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Telegram.
Comments
0 comment