Call for ensuring safe digital space for children, youth as online harassment soars

Urgent measures are required to ensure the safety of children and young people in the digital space, as rising incidents of harassment online are forcing many to refrain from expressing their views, rights activists have said.

Speaking at the launch of the project "Speak Up EU-CSO" at a city hotel in the capital today (28 September), the speakers noted that children and youths are increasingly subjected to cyberbullying, sexual harassment and other forms of online violence. Such threats, they said, are hindering their freedom of expression and preventing them from fully utilising their potential.

If provided with a safe digital environment, children and young people could express themselves freely and strengthen their rights, the activists observed, adding that as the future generation of the country, their freedom of expression must be protected and promoted, particularly in the digital sphere.

Netherlands-based child rights international organisation Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL), along with its three partners – INCIDIN Bangladesh, Breaking The Silence and Ain o Salish Kendra – organised the event.

The project aims to train 2,000 children and youths in Dhaka, Satkhira, Bagerhat and Gazipur on preventing online harassment. Participants will also work with local communities and authorities to strengthen protective measures.

The event was told that children (aged 15-18), and youths (aged 18-24) who resorted to the internet for the purpose of education and social opportunities during and after the Covid-19 pandemic faced increased online harassment. Up to 32% of children were identified by Unicef as victims of online violence.

The event was also told that adolescents (aged 12-18) and youths (18–24), particularly those who are digitally active but lack the skills, resources, or safe environments to navigate the internet without fear or harm, are vulnerable.

As a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Bangladesh has a responsibility to ensure safe digital spaces, the speakers argued. This requires favourable policy frameworks, rights-based public discourse, and stronger community protection systems to promote online safety for diverse groups of children and youths, they said.

Brigadier General SM Moniruzzaman, director general of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, attended as the chief guest. Nazrul Islam, country manager of TdH Netherlands, presided over the event.

Other speakers included Mohammad Saiful Hassan, joint secretary at the ICT Division; Enrico Lorenzon, team leader (Inclusive Governance), European Union delegation to Bangladesh; AKM Masud Ali, executive director of INCIDIN Bangladesh; and Tahmina Rahman, EC member of Ain o Salish Kendra.