By Binta Jaiteh
A local rights group, Cyber Crime Committee’s (CCC) has made a fresh call to the authorities to criminalize cybercrimes – as they calls on Gambians including lawmakers to join in the fight against cyber bullying.
The Cyber Crime Committee’s call seeks to help eliminate cyber bullying amid upsurge in cyber bullying targeting mostly famous Gambian men and women – as they planned a march pass for November 28 from Alliance Franco to Youth monument Westfield to create public awareness.
Speaking in a news conference at Hypolink, the group’s secretary general, Mary K. Badjie said: “we need to deal with the situation before it gets out of control.”
“We encourage everyone to come and together we can fight against cyber bullying, lawmakers have a vital role to play because we are all affected directly or indirectly, everyone can be a victim tomorrow, we don’t want anyone to have psychological trauma,” she added.
She called on the nation’s lawmakers to help and criminalize “cybercrimes and bullying,” saying if the act is not prohibited by law then it would remain free and that would seriously affect the society.
“We all know cyber bullying, intimidation, trying to damage people characters, photo shopping which has led to frustration and even committing suicide. As patriotic Gambians came together to form a committee and fight against bullying in a sense of creating awareness to the society, sensitizing the people to know the impact of cyber bullying,” Modou Lamin Badjie, assistant secretary, said.
According to him, cyber bullying can destroy a family because it defames someone as well as demoralizes and damages a person completely.
“We should not sit back as Gambians to watch people damaging our country. We should allow people to bully the image of our leaders, we should make the government take a lead role in implementing policies in order for those policies to be enforced,” he said.
People’s marriages have been destroyed due to cyberbullying; children have abandoned their parents because of cyberbullying, he added.
