Rape Threats Against Ankiti Bose Spark Debate Over Women And Cyber Security

Social media has pretty much figured out the one and the only way of going against a woman--degrading her publicly. The rampant abuse on social media against women has made the virtual spaces unsafe for women. A similar attack was made against the ex-CEO of Zilingo after she was fired from the company.

The Indian-origin former CEO of Singaporean-based fashion company Zilingo Ankiti Bose has sought protection against a Twitter user who accessed and shared her personal pictures, chats and documents without her consent on the internet. She is the company's co-founder and was in news last week after she was fired from her position.

In an Instagram post, Bose wrote, "Today, I obtained an Expedited Protection Order from the Singapore courts against a Twitter user." This happened a week after she was suspended. According to her, she was terminated "on the grounds of insubordination."

In the recent social media post, she said that the past seven days have been difficult for her and in addition to the dispute going public, which according to her should have remained private, "the media and social media attention around Zilingo and myself have made it impossible to actually focus on what is important."

Suggested Reading: Why Singapore Start-Up Fired Ankiti Bose? Indian-Origin CEO Explains

Ankiti Bose Rape Threats

She wrote, "My personal photos, chats, documents, records may have all been improperly accessed and circulated without my consent and now I have seen versions of them on the internet which are clearly fake but damaging nonetheless. I don't know who is doing this."

She also added that her friends have reached out to her in support and she appreciates that. "My apps are filled with hate messages and unfounded negative press, and I cannot even bear to unlock my phone without choking up. I have never experienced hate and threats of violence at this scale before," she wrote.

She also revealed that she has been focusing on her mental health at the moment and has sought legal help as she fears that this may be the work of "elements" trying to intimidate her and malign her image in media and social media.

"I have tried to let it go and not think about who writes these blogs or tweets, but I draw the line at rape threats," she said.

Bose getting fired or suspended from an organisation is subjected to investigation and only the conclusion will prove if she is really guilty. No matter what the results of the investigation maybe, the cyber abuse she claims to have received seem unfair. Passing critical comments on an individual's actions is one thing and threats of taking away their dignity is another thing. Just because Bose was fired from her company, does that mean she deserves to be threatened with rape? To bring in cyberbullying and rape threats is degrading and harassment which is criminal in a court of law.

No woman ever should have to fear invisible virtual voices that cowardly attack her body and mind through threats of violence and rape. If she is at fault at her workplace, a fair trial and investigation will be carried out. Rape threats are no joking matter, it is a physical and mental trauma that thousands of women across the world face.

Views expressed by author are their own.