Opinion | Patterns of silence
Summary
Pakistan's new national strategy aims to tackle technology-facilitated gender-based violence by improving accountability, protection, and survivor support amid rising digital abuse.
Key Points
- Gender-based violence, including digital abuse, is an epidemic transcending borders, affecting women globally.
- Pakistan’s cybercrime system is under-resourced with extremely low prosecution rates despite increasing complaints.
- Pakistan developed a national strategy for Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence with UNDP support, focusing on prevention, protection, accountability, and survivor support.
- The strategy introduces a 24-hour takedown rule and aims to close loopholes like blackmail through intimate images and tackle AI-generated sexual content.
