April 5, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
Foreboding numbers have been revealed in the seventh annual Cyber Harassment Helpline Report 2023 which reveal that on average at least 206 complaints of harassment were received by the DRF helpline and in 2023 alone, there were have been around 2,473 complaints, with February receiving the most complaints. Since its launch in December 2016 DRF has received a total number of 16,849 complaints from across Pakistan.
Pakistan is consistently ranked among the world’s most perilous countries for women. As internet usage has surged, with mobile broadband penetration now at 53.6%, the scourge of violence against women continues to extend into the online sphere, reflecting the prevailing patriarchal and misogynistic norms.
According to recent data from a GSMA report, women’s mobile internet use stood at 27%; however, the gender gap between mobile internet use stands at 38%. Research on women’s access to devices and the internet indicates that family disapproval remains a significant barrier to women owning a cellphone and accessing the internet. Another notable factor is that only 16% of women in Pakistan reported using mobile
internet regularly, and that the top barrier to owning a mobile phone is low literacy and digital skills. This aspect is crucial in understanding why online harassment is wielded against women and how they respond to such threats. In societies where a woman’s (and her family’s) honor is closely linked to family and societal perceptions, and where women’s public participation is often discouraged, owning a cellphone is
perceived as gaining access to the ‘outside world.’
This poses a challenge for women and girls seeking empowerment through digital means. Additionally, women’s access to education still remains limited in the country and many women aren’t aware of the legal avenues and redressal available to them in case they need to protect themselves online.
Digital Rights Foundation’s investigations into online harassment in Pakistan reveal concerning trends. In a survey involving women in media and information roles, 55% reported experiencing abuse or harassment online, yet only 14.2% sought help. Another study by DRF found that 70% of respondents feared the misuse of their pictures if posted online, with 40% reporting instances of stalking and harassment on messaging apps.
Category of Complaints
According to details, the helpline received 2.224 complaints involving cyber harassment, 26 calls for domestic issues, 10 calls for physical harassment and 8 calls for workplace harassment. There were 151 calls for general inquiry and 151 calls for other reasons.
The age distribution of our complainants indicates that young adults, particularly women, between the ages of 18 to 30, are most prone to facing some type of online harassment. Interestingly, for age groups above 30, complainants who are men outnumbered the women. This could indicate that younger women face greater instances of online harassment, or alternatively that they are more comfortable in reporting such instances although it could not be ascertained for sure.
Most of the calls were received from Punjab (1,724), followed by Sindh (261), Islamabad (118), KP (112), Balochistan (35), and AJK (20). Calls were also received from outside Pakistan – around 58.
Our 2023 Cyber Harassment Helpline Report is out now 📢
Our report saw a surge in cases of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) in Pakistan, with the helpline receiving nearly 2500 cases last year alone.
🔗 https://t.co/z12ZE2DRKq pic.twitter.com/mlu6MPxXrR
— Digital Rights Foundation (@DigitalRightsPK) April 5, 2024
Complaint mechanisms
In 2018, the FIA announced that it was expanding its services to 15 cybercrime wings in Pakistan. The option of registering a complaint online is available through their website, email and the FIA helpline; however, according to the feedback received from our complainants, these methods are nowhere near as efficient as visiting their office in person.
According to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, Pakistan scored 1.53 on a scale of zero to four on the access to justice scale which measures the degree to which women can file lawsuits, demand fair trials, and seek legal recourse when their rights are infringed.
Out of the 2,224 cases of cyber harassment received by the Helpline, 1,278 (57.5%) were eventually referred to the FIA because it was advised that taking legal action would be better for the long-term well-being of the survivors. Around 67.6% of the cases referred to the FIA originated from one of 15 cities where an FIA cybercrime wing was located, whereas 392 – or 30% – of the cases originated from other locations, making it necessary for these complainants to travel across cities to file a report.
This does not necessarily mean that these areas are devoid of complaints regarding online harassment or TFGBV; it may instead be an indication of the Helpline’s uneven reach within the population, or that people are generally unaware of reporting mechanisms in these areas
Complainants, especially women, have strongly objected to the scarcity of dedicated cybercrime units in their city. This logistical challenge is particularly acute for women and girls, who often prioritize maintaining privacy to avoid potential repercussions stemming from societal victim-blaming tendencies.
Accused
While in 1,790 cases there was no information given by the victim, and in 87 the accused was unknown, 189 of the accused were former partners, and 20 of them were former spouses (husbands). Eleven (11) were husbands, Around 109 were strangers to the victim, 32 of the accused were from a relationship formed online, 32 were family. Around 118 were clients, or consumers, 29 of them were friends, etc.
Meanwhile victims comprised vulnerable communities including differently-abled, ethnic minority, minors, other, religious minority, trans-community and gender minorities.
The DRF report There are certain types of abuse that are reported simultaneously that exemplify the way in which TFGBV manifests in Pakistan. At least 87% out of the 178 cases of nonconsensual intimate images (NCII) were reported by women. Similarly, 86% of the 460
blackmailing cases were reported by women. Around 48% of all cases that involved the nonconsensual use of images, intimate or otherwise, reported by women also included an element of blackmailing.