CUK holds sensitisation prog on ‘Cyber Crimes Against Women and Measures Thereof’

Precious Kashmir News
Ganderbal, Mar 10: The Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) and Institutional Innovation Council (IIC), of the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) Friday organised a one-day sensitisation programme on “Cyber Crimes Against Women and Measures Thereof,” to commemorate the International Women’s Day.
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Farooq Ahmad Shah, Registrar, Prof. M Afzal Zargar, Dean School of Life Sciences, Prof. Muhammad Yousuf, expert Assistant Prof, KU, Dr. Faheem Syed Masoodi, faculty members, scholars and students were also present at the event, held under the auspices of G20 presidency of India.
Addressing the participants, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Farooq Ahmad Shah, said the internet and social media platforms have made the women across the globe vulnerable and more susceptible to cybercrimes including stalking, morphing, phoney profiling, cyberbullying, sending annoying messages and online trolling.
“The objective of holding this programme is to aware the girl students and female staff members to take proactive measures to counter and stop the online harassment,” Prof. Farooq Shah said, adding that there have been several instances across the country wherein the girls and women folk have taken extreme steps after being subjected to online harassment and blackmailing.
Speaking on the occasion, Registrar, Prof. M Afzal Zargar, said, the advancements in information technology has a flip side with criminals and hooligans, using fake profiles on social media platforms to harass and intimidate the girls and women folk.
“The society teaches women to overlook the online harassment they experience on social media. But the need of the hour is to immediately report any such harassment or intimidation in the newly carved cyber police stations,” Prof. Zargar said.
He said the most common cybercrimes against women nowadays is cyberstalking, i.e invading someone’s privacy with the goal to terrify, torment, torture, or intimidate the victim.
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Farooq Ahmad Shah and Registrar, Prof. M Afzal Zargar also felicitated the two women innovators Arifa Jan and Shazia Jan for making innovations in Namda making and usage of traditional Samovar. They asked the students to think out of box and directed the IIC to provide a platform to them for making innovations in different fields.
Expert Asst Prof, KU, Dr. Faheem Syed Masoodi, in his presentation spoke about different forms of cybercrimes and asked the students to refrain from accepting friend requests from random individuals, on the social media platforms. He further said that there have been several incidents wherein the social media accounts of individuals have been cloned in order to extract money from their added friends and relatives.
ICC Presiding Officer, Dr. Mir Insha Farooq, in her welcome speech, said the technological revolution has become both boon and bane for the people. She said the rate of cybercrime against women has increased manifold and there is a dire need to educate the girl students about the ways to counter such threats.
ICC member secretary, Dr. Khalid Waseem conducted the programme proceedings while as Member ICC, Dr. Ibraq Khursheed proposed the vote of thanks.