This shouldn’t result in suicide, in my opinion. A heroine from Sri Lanka who took on cybercriminals alone and defeated them shared her story in this way with the BBC Sinhala service.
At the time, Ms. Maduwanthi Ratnayaka, a nurse by profession, was 27 years old. On this International Women’s Day, she spoke about how she had the person who altered her photo and posted it online arrested.
While I was on duty, a subordinate brought this to my attention. I immediately requested sick leave after being informed of this because I could not handle it. She talked about the mental suffering and anguish she went through after these cybercriminals published her defaced, severely altered photograph into the public internet space.
It was the height of the Corona virus. I had a corona ward assigned to me. The authorities were formally preparing to conduct a disciplinary investigation. My mother was in terrible mental pain, my younger brother stopped talking to me, and my friends abandoned me even though my home knew I was innocent. Some of the close friends tried to gain unfair advantages. However, a crowd that was towering in strength to me was encircling me.
I was able to handle everything because I was certain that justice would be served in some way. Whatever happens, I’ve always been adamant that it shouldn’t push me over the edge and commit suicide. Because I was aware that the person responsible for all of this wanted to destroy me. I accepted the challenge, she said.
To encourage them, Maduwanti points out that many women today deal with similar circumstances.
She claimed that such laws are not well-established in Sri Lanka, and that information on such incidents must be gathered through international websites. The collection of data presents enormous challenges, and because Sri Lankan law is not sufficiently robust, I encountered numerous issues.
She endured hardships related to cybercrime and legal flaws, but after a year-long trial, she was able to punish the offenders.
In 2022, Mahiyanganaya magistrate courts sentenced the cybercriminal who altered her photographs and published them online to two years of hard labour and ordered the offender to pay grieved Maduwanthi Ratnayaka 8 lakhs in cash.
Maduwanthi sought justice rather than fleeing or putting up with the injustice, and because she succeeded, she is now pursuing higher education abroad.
Although nudity and blackmail are issues that other nations also face, Sri Lanka’s cultural bondage has a significant social impact on us in these areas. However, I believe there is a fix for every problem. Either we fix it or we don’t. Every girl should learn to have confidence in herself Maduwanthi said
If you ever find yourself in such a situation, get expert advice. If not, you risk being taken for a ride without being aware of it. As Maduwanthi claims, I was about to close up for such things, but I went to the proper location. If not, further unfortunate events will happen to you.
In such circumstances, she advises against self-harm or suicide attempts and advises instead to take her experience and how she handled the situation as examples.
She said that anyone who does not want to report matters to their local police can do so to the Women and Children Bureau and the Colombo Crime Division Computer Related Crime Branch, both of which are very important.
She makes the point that criminals who harm women online should face very harsh punishment from the law. She added that instead of continuing to punish them, they need to be rehabilitated.