Girls are at risk in virtual world too

Women in Mumbai aren’t unsafe only on the streets. The virtual world is just as daunting a place.

A 17-year-old girl told DNA on the condition of anonymity that she deleted her account on Facebook after she was harassed online by boys from her locality. "They started posting vulgar comments on my page. I reported it as spam but they didn't stop. I had to delete my profile,'' she said.

Similarly, Divya Kotrudkar, 14, who studies at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Colaba, says that she feels extremely insecure while uploading personal photographs or details online. "I have heard a lot about girls' photographs being morphed, in spite of the privacy settings on Facebook. Often, you may know the culprit, but can do nothing because you may be termed as 'uncool','' said Kotrudkar.

Ophelia Barreto, principal of Podar International School (SSC), Santacruz, said that they have started taking pro- active measures in her school. They have posted numbers of police helplines at the school gate and the reception. "We tell them that they must ensure that the culprit learns a lesson,'' she said. JBCN International School, Borivli, too, had conducted awareness about cyberbullying among their students and parents.