Cyberbullying vs #justiceforporimoni

Popular Dhallywood actress Pori Moni posted a status from her verified Facebook page on Sunday evening (June 13) claiming that attempts of murder and rape were made on her.

The initial post did not mention any perpetrator and she asked for the attention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to look into the matter.

The post went viral on Facebook. Instantly the issue divided the netizens of Bangladesh into two factions.

A huge group attacked the actress, shared vulgar comments about the issue, and started posting hate speech comments and victim-blaming remarks.

On the other hand, celebrities and filmmakers raised voice for Pori and started the hashtag #justiceforporimoni demanding a quick investigation over the matter. The hashtag went trending on Facebook and almost a thousand posts with it were being shared each hour till the report was written.

The investigation is currently ongoing, 5 people including the prime accused Nasir Mahmood has been arrested but the hate speech did not stop and a huge portion of Bangladeshi netizens are blaming the victim and harassing her online.

The Report’s Showbiz team talked to filmmakers, actors and media professionals to hear their opinion on the matter.

Renowned filmmaker Gias Uddin Selim, who previously starred Pori Moni in his films 'Swapna Jaal’ and ‘Pap Punno’ talked with The Report about this new culture of hate among Bangladeshi netizens.

Gias Uddin Selim is one of the first media professionals who took to Facebook and posted a video statement on the issue.

“I was amazed how people started to attack me virtually on my profile for demanding justice for Pori and condemning the horrifying actions on her,” Selim told The Report.

“I cannot understand how this culture came to our country where people could stoop so low to blame the victim in such a way,” added he.

Pori Moni’s ‘Pap Punno’ co-star and famous Bangladeshi actor Siam Ahmed also talked with The Report over his status mentioning #justiceforpori.

“I demand a quick investigation and hope that my fellow colleague will receive the proper justice she deserves,” Siam Ahmed said.

Renowned actress and model Masuma Rahman Nabila, mostly known for Aynabaji posted a similar status demanding justice for Porimoni.

Talking to The Report she said, “Only celebrities in Bangladesh are facing such situation. Women at every corner face incidents like this every day.

“According to her statements she struggled for four days to handle the issue as an ordinary citizen. After failing to do anything she had to use her (Pori Moni) identity and rounded up journalists to make her issue heard. I want to thank Pori that this action will give courage to millions of Bangladeshi women and give them the strength to speak out about their issues as well. Pori did not think of all the awful things people usually say and are saying and spoke out what she had to say,” Nabila furthered.

Internationally acclaimed Bangladeshi sensation Jaya Ahsan also condemned such actions against Pori and demanded justice for her in her personal profile on Facebook.

“This should set an example in our society so no one can ever dare to put any women in such a situation ever again,” Jaya told to The Report.

Veteran actress and member of Bangladesh parliament Suborna Mustafa also posted about demanding justice for Pori and condemned the hate speech being circulated on the internet against her.

“Porimoni's tears break my heart. An adult woman can choose her own lifestyle, that doesn't make her easy or accessible. People who are going on and on why she was out so late, actually it's none of your business. If you can, give her moral support or Shut up,” Shuborna wrote on her verified Facebook page.

The Report also contacted Sadat Rahman, founder of the internationally acclaimed app and helpline service called Cyber Teens, which works with teenagers and gives free legal and mental support to teenagers facing online sexual harassment and cyberbullying. He won the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2020 for this project.

“If we see the internet culture of our country, we see that a celebrity like Pori Moni took to Facebook to seek justice and a huge number of people are reacting ‘Ha Ha’ on such a sensitive post. In the comment section of the same post, they are blaming the victim accusing her of wearing short clothes which tempted to attempt rape. This is legally a crime. I never saw such a thing when I visited foreign countries,” Sadat Rahman said.

“This issue will not disappear by just taking legal actions or doing lengthy talk shows. People of all class and regions should be taught proper internet etiquette and changing the young generation’s mentality one step at a time. Only then this issue can be resolved,” he furthered.  

Pori Moni was contacted by The Report’s Showbiz team for a comment about this matter but could not be reached.

The hashtags #justiceforpori and #justiceforporimoni are still trending on Facebook and other major social media handles. Netizens on both sides of this equation are still arguing about the matter. Numerous media professionals have been constantly posting their support for Pori and condemning the hate speech, victim-blaming and cyberbullying posts targeting the actor. They are demanding the proper attention of law enforcement agencies to find these people and take necessary actions to stop the flow of such hate speech.