Editorial
E-stalking
Stop the faceless menace in its strides
It seems that a new form of evil is raising its head in our midst. A report front-paged in this newspaper recently exposes this nasty phenomenon, a new way of sexual harassment through mobile phones. This is quite unlike the other forms of harassment that women folk in Bangladesh have been subjected to so far. It is inobtrusive and faceless yet equally potent in its damaging impact on the victim. It appears from the report that this latest manifestation of evil mind has assumed a level of epidemic proportion.
It is rather astonishing that of all the 30 women interviewed at random by The Daily Star, every single one of them has been subjected to this kind of pestering, some by people well-acquainted and some by unknown persons. Some were threatened with serious consequences if she did not do as told on the phone.
The phenomenon, unfortunately, is one of the travails of progress of civilization, a detestable consequence of technological development and its attendant hazards. Electronic teasing is an example of how a facility designed to make life easy can be misused to make life difficult for some.
Needless to say, this has reached such a point that it can no longer be allowed to go unchecked. This nuisance must be nipped in the bud before it's too late, before some unfortunate women are driven to desperate actions to escape the torment, because this is what e-stalking has become.
The question is what can be and should be done to put a stop to this.
To start with, we feel that the parliament through legislation should make this practice a criminal offence. The cyber crime prevention cell should be reinvigorated, with both qualified staff and appropriate technology. The government should make use of the existing technology and innovate ways which would help to put a stop to such practice through quick identification and location of the stalker. The private telecom companies should also be taken on board in formulating various measurers to combat this crime. Merely blocking of SIM cards is not enough, and there is need to create disincentive through exemplary punishment.
It may also be worth learning from the experiences of other countries that have had to deal with similar phenomenon, as to how they have gone about the matter. There is also the need for the civil bodies and the media to initiate a mass awareness campaign against this.
However, there is a word of caution that we would like to sound in this regard. The government must guard against the misapplication of the anti e-stalking measures because there is always a possibility of the system being misused. A mechanism ought to be put in place to prevent unnecessary harassment and victimisation.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. 
Related News
An alarming report on children’s exposure to climate risks
19 June 2026, 19:07 PM
Editorial
Why is safe water inaccessible for millions despite rising spending?
19 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
BB must confront bad loans’ true scale
18 June 2026, 18:38 PM
Editorial
Dolphin deaths must be investigated
18 June 2026, 08:00 AM
Editorial
Weak policing fuelling rise in crimes
17 June 2026, 18:18 PM
Editorial
Comments