Despite the rise in cybercrime in Bangladesh, the tendency to seek legal recourse is low, says a key study led by Obydullah Al Marjuk, Senior Lecturer of Social Sciences and Humanities at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

While most victims are educated, only 12% take legal action after experiencing cybercrime. The remaining 88% keep their victimization hidden. Among those who report to law enforcement, 87.50% do not receive any positive outcome.

The report, titled “Cybercrime Trends in Bangladesh 2024”, was commissioned by the Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CCAF). Obydullah Al Marjuk, head of CCAF's research team, presented the findings at an event held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity on June 29, 2024. The report was prepared by analyzing voluntary information from 132 cybercrime victims and included several recommendations to control cybercrime and ensure justice.

Obydullah Al Marjuk said, "CCAF publishes the Cybercrime Tendency Report annually, relying on data voluntarily provided by victims. The 2024 report highlights that cybercrime is continuously evolving, stressing the need for us to update our policies to keep pace with these changes. Increasing awareness among the public is essential, as it remains the most crucial strategy to effectively combat and mitigate the impact of cybercrime."

The report revealed that 78.78% of cybercrime victims are aged between 18 and 30. The victimization rate for children under 18 is 13.65%. The remaining 7% of victims are aged 31 and above. Among the total victims, 59% are women.

Among the types of crimes, social media account hacking is the most prevalent, affecting 21.65% of victims. Pornography-related crimes also show a worrying trend, with an incidence rate of 11.35%. Most cybercrime victims report losing social status. About 47.72% said they lost their social standing due to cybercrime. Additionally, 40.15% faced financial loss. All victims expressed severe mental distress and extreme helplessness.

Despite most victims being educated, the rate of seeking legal recourse is very low. Only 12% of victims took legal steps. Among them, 81.25% filed general diaries (GDs), and 18.75% submitted written complaints. As much as 87.50% of those who reported to law enforcement did not receive any positive outcome. The remaining 12.50% did not comment on receiving justice or any beneficial results, with many of their cases still ongoing.

According to the survey, 40.90% of cybercrime victims have passed HSC, 21.21% hold bachelor's degrees, and 16.66% have at least passed SSC. The remaining 12.87% did not progress beyond the secondary level.

The report's recommendations emphasize the importance of technological innovation. It suggests increasing government investment and providing incentives to entrepreneurs. Mutual cooperation is needed to achieve excellence. Instead of relying on imports, attention should be given to developing software and applications for cybersecurity.

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