KATHMANDU: As the reach and use of internet has grown by the multifold so too have instances of online harassment.

Media professionals and the concerned have stated that digital education is essential to lower these kinds of incidences on social media platforms. “”The situation of children and women affected by online abuse and the role of media workers for a safer internet” was the theme of Safer Internet Day 2025 today.

At the programme, National Women’s Commission Chairperson Kamala Parajuli emphasized that women as well as children are affected by online abuse and called for unity among all stakeholders to reduce it.

Likewise, Chairperson of Federation of Nepali Journalists, Nirmala Sharma, said that every person, along with the government sector, should be aware to reduce the incidents of online abuse.

Other participants emphasized the need for everyone to be aware of digital education.

Indra Devi Dhakal, member secretary of the National Council for the Rights of the Child, said that many children are falling victim to cyber violence and it is not possible to say no to the use of the internet in the present time.

According to the data of the Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police, in the fiscal year 2080/81, 635 children were reported to have been subjected to cyber abuse. This included 253 boys and 382 girls.

A total of 8,745 women over the age of 18 have suffered online abuse. Statistics show that more than 81 percent of online abuse cases in Nepal occur through social networking site, Facebook.

According to a study conducted by Voice of Children and KNH Germany with 514 children, families and stakeholders related to child protection and child justice, 97 percent of those aged 13 to 18 (55 percent of girls and 45 percent of boys) have access to the Internet.