Development activist Kizi Tahanin keeps her Facebook profile open to the public for professional work and her literary pursuits.
She told bdnews24.com that she has been a victim of meme trouble many times.
“I had the picture clicked by a professional photographer abroad. During the pandemic, some people told me the photo was used on several Facebook pages, including some literary groups that publish poems and micro-stories.
“I contacted the Pages that used my photo. His point was that he had collected it from other sources. But most of them apologized and removed the photos. They also cannot monitor everything. I did not get cooperation in one or two cases.
Tahneen said that both men and women post such memes and both become victims.
The harassment was “beyond tolerable”, but she did not take legal steps because she was too busy.
Global Network of Women Peacebuilders researcher, Najmunnahar Shishir faced similar issues as Tahneen in 2014-2015, after completing her BA Hons, she did not seek legal help.
“Some meme pages and videos used my pictures to increase page views, especially the cheap ones. Also, many people used my picture to open fake Facebook profiles.
He tried to contact the group or page admin, but his photos were not removed.
Shishir said women become “soft targets” in such cases of identity theft.
No legal steps?
“We know these are crimes but do not consider their impact on the society. In fact, I myself was not interested in going to the police station on this issue. Sometimes we avoid taking legal help fearing complications Shishir said.
He now feels that it was a mistake not to seek legal help then.
“These are difficult times for those who feel embarrassed by the social ramifications of such incidents. If we had taken legal steps, it could have paved the way for others to act now.”
Additional SP Bhaskar said when women complain to the cyber unit, the police take it “more seriously”.
Bhaskar told that the unit that Rabita approached for help was opened on November 16, 2020. He said that senior police officers regularly monitor the complaints lodged in the unit.