Actress and model Sadia Jahan Prova has spoken publicly about the online trolling and cyberbullying she says she has endured for the past 16 years, sharing her experiences and the psychological impact of sustained harassment in a recent video message released on Wednesday.
The popular television actress said she continues to face abusive comments and online attacks linked to a personal controversy from nearly 16 years ago. According to Prova, the issue is repeatedly brought up whenever she shares new work, photographs or social media posts.
In the video, she questioned the mindset of those who engage in cyberbullying, arguing that it is inhumane to judge a person for life based on a single incident or to repeatedly use that event as a means of humiliation.
“I am now going to speak some uncomfortable truths,” she said. “For a long time, I have avoided speaking about recent events because I thought there was no benefit in doing so. But from a sense of responsibility, I feel there are some things that cannot simply be ignored.”
Prova went on to suggest that online harassment often stems from personal insecurity, saying that people who aggressively judge, mock and verbally abuse others on social media are frequently dissatisfied with themselves.
Citing what she described as findings from psychology and psychiatric studies, she said, “People who are insecure about their own abilities, position, appearance or qualifications are often the ones who bully others online.”
Reflecting on her own experience, Prova said she has been subjected to bullying for almost 16 years. While acknowledging that some people may derive satisfaction from targeting her, she argued that greater attention should be directed towards those responsible for violating another person’s privacy.
“If even 50 percent of the criticism directed at me as a victim had instead been directed at the criminal, things might have been different,” she said.
The actress further stressed that disclosing someone’s private information without consent is a serious offence and questioned why public scrutiny is often focused on victims rather than perpetrators.
