Cyber Bullying: A heinous Crime
Mubashir Azmat Shah
Bullying can be defined as the intentional infliction of physical or physiological pain and harm on a person, usually students or women who fall victim to this vice.
And when bullying is carried out using electronic devices or means such as mobile phones, computers, tablets and other online platforms etc then it is referred as cyber bullying and this practice of bullying is much prevalent in the present day society.
What I discovered from reading cyberbullying victim tales on the cyberbullying research centre is that cyberbullying is extremely destructive because it pushes a person towards anxiety, sadness, depression etc.
It includes sending, uploading or spreading unpleasant, disparaging, false or hurtful content about another person. It also includes inflicting disgrace or humiliation to another individual by sharing personal or private information about them.
All these factors have a bad impact on the victim`s mental health. It has long term consequences. The stress of being upset or afraid all of the time can cause severe health issues like mood swings, a lack of energy and motivation etc. It also causes the person jittery, worried or depressed.
If a person is already depressed or nervous, cyber bullying can exacerbate their situation. All of these factors have a significant impact on the victim’s personal and professional life. It has a negative impact on one’s academic interests as well. When children face bully they are more likely to use intoxicants like alcohol, tobacco or other substances to relieve their stress and pain, which will have a negative impact on the whole society in the long run.
● How to counter cyber bullying
If one is being bullied, harassed or teased then one shouldn’t suffer it with silence. There are possible ways through which one can stop it. Following steps should be followed to counter this vice.
⮚ Ignore: The greatest strategy to combat cyber bullying is to avoid posts, comments and messages. Since ignoring bullies is the most effective way to deprive them of their power. If one finds something upsetting, don’t act with rage and anger instead turn off your phone or laptop for a while. These bullies have no other rationale than to make you annoy and feel bad, if one doesn’t respond or retaliate, they will surely lose their motive and may stop.
⮚ Share with someone: If you are being harassed or bullied by someone, share with a person whom you trust. He might be able to motivate and assist you.
⮚ Report bullying: When someone publishes harsh or mean things on social media or creates bogus accounts, it is taken seriously. The site administrator may ban the bully from using the site in the future if users report abuse.
⮚ Block the bully: All smartphones have the option to block. One can use that option in order to prevent the bully from sending messages.
● Laws with regard to cyber bullying:
In India, there is no explicit legislation that allows for cyber bullying laws, yet measures like section 67 of the information technology Act deals with cyber bullying in some way. Section 67 of the Act stipulates that publishing or transmitting obscene material in electronic form is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to ten lakh rupees.
Apart from this following provision of Indian Penal Code, 1860 deals with the cyber bullying:
Section 507 of the Indian Penal Code provides that if someone is subjected to criminal intimidation by anonymous communication, the person is liable to imprisonment for up to two years. Anti-bullying and cyberbullying are covered in this section due to the phrase anonymous.
Section 66 E of the IT Act outlines the penalties for violating privacy. According to the Law, anyone who knowingly violates the privacy of others by transmitting, recording or publishing private photographs of others shall be punished with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to three lakh.
To conclude we can say that apart from these regulations, there is a pressing need to create particular rules for cyber bullying, which is causing a great deal of distress among children. Some people execute this awful behaviour for enjoyment but the victim either becomes depressed or turns to drugs, destroying their personal and professional lives in the process. So one should not use this way to take revenge or make a person feel bad or feel his/her life a burden.
Bullying can lead to suicide in someone who is overly sensitive. Even Allah (SWT) has forbidden bullying by saying in the Quran in surah Al-Hujurat, verse 11: “O you, who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be not better than them nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one`s] faith. And whoever does not repent – then it is those who are the wrongdoers.”[49:11]
“Ones dignity may be assaulted, vandalized and cruelly mocked but it can never be taken away unless it is surrendered”. (Michael J. Fox).
(The author is perusing Law at AMU)