Islamabad, December 10, 2025: A new research report by Bytes For All (B4A), Pakistan, titled “Exploring the Grounds of Digital Violence Against Women in Pakistan,” presents hard evidence on how women’s safety and freedom of expression are seriously threatened by the confluence of digital violence directed at women. The instances of TikToker Imsha Rehman, Shia ordinary women activists, activists Dr. Sabiha Baloch, and Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro demonstrate the targeted online harassment campaigns that not only silence women but also aid in the dissemination of extremist ideas and dangerous speech online. These incidents show how internet platforms are used as weapons to vilify, threaten, and encourage violence against women, especially those from underrepresented groups.
The report highlights that women who are vocal in online spaces, whether they are journalists, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), activists, or content creators, are often met with harassment and abuse intended to silence them. This includes hate speech, physical threats, stalking, bullying, and defamation campaigns. For most women, the harm does not stay in digital spaces and also affects their psychosocial well-being, work, and physical safety.
Through real case studies, the report maps evident patterns, gendered slurs, coordinated hate campaigns, religious hatred, blasphemy allegations, non-consensual private images, impersonation, and the misuse of synthetic media. These case studies demonstrate how digital violence is intertwined with deeper inequalities and old patriarchal norms that still shape our everyday lives. The report reflects on how patriarchal behaviors, radical narratives, and weaker accountability make digital spaces unsafe for women.
The report’s findings highlight gaps in the laws, weak implementation, and inconsistent handling of complaints. This report is a call to action. It recommends that policymakers, law enforcement, the judiciary, tech companies, media, and civil society address digital violence as a real and urgent problem and push for safer digital spaces where women and girls can express their opinions, create content, and take back control of technology.
