Amsal Fatima
Pakistan, with nearly 49% of the women’s population, has the prevalence of gender disparity and patriarchal values. Deep-rooted complex beliefs and making them limited to women only, such as honor, cultural norms, and Parda, are the finest examples of gender disparity in Pakistan. Gender disparity plays a pivotal role in contributing to harassment against women by objectifying them as sexual objects and giving power to men. This harassment is not limited only in workplaces, educational institutions, and public places but also online. Pakistani women face harassment due to outdated beliefs and deep-rooted patriarchal values. Overtime, with a growing digital landscape in Pakistan, 3G and 4G connectivity has made social media access a norm. However, a significant rise has been seen in online harassment against women. According to DataReportal’s 2023 report, 82.1% of Pakistanis use at least one social media platform, and with notable gender disparity, only 28% of users are female, while males make up to 72 percent. Pakistan, a third-world country where women’s participation on social media is already low compared to men. This behavior makes it more difficult for women to have a social media presence. According to the Digital Rights Foundation 2020 in Pakistan, there are only 35% female Instagram users and 65% are males. As per the United Nations, “an increasing number of Pakistani women and girls are facing cyber harassment online.” The online harassment also has far-reaching and devastating effects offline as well, which can be easily understood by this case. In 2012, one of the first cases of the negative side of digital technology and cybercrime was reported in Kohistan. In this incident, a private video of a family gathering was leaked showing four women dancing in the presence of three men. Their family members in the name of honor killed all the individuals shown in that video. While supreme court of Pakistan took its Sou Moto jurisdiction but this case was sidelined when the team of facts researchers were actively misled by the locals of that area and it was concluded that those women are still alive. However, it was discovered later that the women that were shown to the research team were different. Eventually, that case was opened again in 2016 due to the doubts raised by the commission. This case shows violence against women caused by cybercrimes. An epidemic of private video leaks has taken place in Pakistan from the last decade that caused a significant rise in honor killings and suicide. On May 20, 2020, two teenage girls were killed over phone video footage in northwest Pakistan. They are said to be killed by their family members. Activists believe about 1000 “honor killing” murders are carried out every year across the country. The concept of honor killing in Pakistan is common and limits women’s freedom to live. Most Pakistani women feel uncomfortable posting their photos online due to the fear of misuse. This continuous fear makes it difficult for women to have an effective social media presence. From the last 4-5 years, leaking of private videos of women has reached an alarming level, and it seems that law-regulating authorities and FIA have terribly failed to mitigate it. Many cases of online harassment and leaked private videos go unreported due to the burden of the reputation of family. Women are not able to take steps to seek justice because they fear they will be killed in the name of honor. The rise has been seen in revenge porn. Revenge porn refers to non-consensual pornography where an ex-partner shares illicit video with the motive to defame another partner. This has detrimental consequences, especially for women in Pakistan, by causing severe mental distress. As per the official estimates, revenge porn increased by 50% in Pakistan between 2020 and 2022.Not only is this, but the misuse of AI to create defamatory content, particularly targeting women, a growing concern.It has devastating impacts on women, damaging their reputations and causing them emotional trauma.The alarming rise in revenge pornography and deepfake videos requires immediate attention; otherwise, this poses serious threats to the lives and security of women in Pakistan.
Amsal Fatima | Student of LLB (Bachelor of laws) Punjab University.
