LAHORE:Wrapping up campaign for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a roundtable on Tuesday brought together activists, researchers, lawyers, NHRI representatives and community organisers to unpack one of Pakistan’s fastest-growing crises: online harassment and digital moral policing—a threat that is silencing women and girls across the country.
Participants, including Salima Hashmi, Leena Ghani, Asad Jamal, BushraKhaliq, Irfan Mufti, Farah Zia and FerozaBatool and Raja Ashraf, underscored that reported cases barely scratch the surface. ‘Women must not be pushed out of digital spaces. Resilience, solidarity and legal reform are essential to ensuring their safety and freedom, but so are pre-emptive steps through educational curricula,’ they said.
They said, ‘Survivors often stay silent due to fear, stigma and the lack of institutional support. Young women face the greatest risks, often creating fake accounts to stay safe, while men frequently exploit anonymity for predatory behaviour. Institutions like the FIA were repeatedly criticised for shaming victims, mishandling complaints, and lacking trained, sensitive staff.’
The speakers said that honour shaming and moral policing dominate digital spaces, fuelled by religious misuse, patriarchal conditioning and widespread digital illiteracy, particularly in government offices where women are often blamed for merely being online. While boys may also experience harassment, the severity and consequences disproportionately harm girls, they added.
