In Nepal, cyberbullying is a particularly serious issue among young people, who are increasingly using social media platforms and other online channels to communicate. This has led to an increase in incidents of online harassment, especially among women and girls, who are often targeted with sexist and misogynistic comments.
According to the data from Cyber Bureau show that the number of cases related to cyberbullying (related to social media/hacking), and IT-related financial crime in this year's till Mangshir is 2,154 and 258 respectively. Talking to the inspector of Crime Bureau Raj Kumar Khadgi, he said that, “The victims who are inside the valley give the report by coming to our bureau, but the ones who are outside the valley report through mails or report to their nearby police station. ”
Recently, there are a lot of cases of character assassination and defamation according to Khadgi. There are people who try to take revenge through social media. In many of these cases, people in a relationship and have shared intimate pictures and recorded videos, knowingly or unknowingly, after breaking up, one tries to take revenge by exposing the pictures and videos in public. This is also called ‘Revenge Porn’. The police officer receives 25-30 cases of cyberbullying per day, but some people who call to report these incidents do not follow through by visiting the bureau. This may be due to the fear of being exposed if they come forward. Social media is frequently used to threaten people for money, and individuals from all walks of life, including dignitaries, have become victims of blackmailing. One of the cases the police officer describes involved an Indian girl who uses nudity to arouse someone, takes pictures of them being naked, and then blackmails them.
The officer points out that in many cases, the culprit is a family member of the victim, and that the police often stop such cases during the victim's consultation. However, if the crime is more serious, such as child abuse or pornography, the offender is punished under the ETA Act. The officer advises people to be careful when posting online and not to make their profiles public. If someone is experiencing online bullying, they should speak to their parents or consult with the cyber bureau. He also warns against trying to hide or delete an account, as this could make the bully stronger and lead to more victims if the victim remains silent.
