In a powerful show of unity against rising online abuse, UNESCO Pakistan and Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) officially launched the Digital Safety & Youth Advocacy Campaign 2025 during a high-voltage panel titled “Voices Against Digital Violence” at the Pakistan Reading & Learning Festival in Lok Virsa.
The session brought together government officials, tech industry leaders, disability and transgender rights champions, and students to confront one of the fastest-growing threats facing Pakistani youth: technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) – from doxxing and deepfake pornography to coordinated hate campaigns and identity theft.
Why This Matters in 2025
- 38% of women worldwide have experienced online violence (UN Broadband Commission 2021) – Pakistan is seeing an even sharper spike among girls and transgender youth.
- Transgender individuals face daily waves of unchecked hate speech that mirror offline discrimination.
- Women with disabilities are routinely excluded from existing reporting mechanisms.
- Students report identity theft and cyberbullying with little institutional support.
Key Voices That Shaped the Conversation
- Abia Akram (disability rights activist): “There is almost zero accessibility in current reporting systems for women with disabilities. Online violence silences us twice.”
- Nayyab Ali (transgender rights defender): “The hate we face online is just digital replication of street harassment – but platforms do nothing until it’s too late.”
- Tehmin Sayyed (industry leader): Announced corporate commitment to fund nationwide digital literacy and safety modules.
- Samar Minallah Khan (moderator & human rights filmmaker): “PECA 2016 exists on paper, but without a cultural revolution that rejects the normalization of harassment, laws alone won’t protect anyone.”
- Muhammad Azaan (student speaker): Shared a chilling personal story of identity theft and the desperate need for schools to become safe reporting hubs.
UNESCO’s Pledge
Mr. Fuad Pashayev, UNESCO Representative to Pakistan, declared: “This is not just another campaign – it is a national call to action to make the internet a space where every Pakistani, especially women, girls, and transgender youth, can learn, express, and thrive without fear.”
What the 2025 Campaign Will Deliver
- Certified Digital Safety Advocates trained across Punjab (focus on girls’ and transgender students)
- School & community-level “Digital Safety Call to Action” toolkits
- Zero-tolerance advocacy training emphasizing empathy and inclusion
- Partnerships with tech companies for faster takedown of abusive content
- Push for accessible, inclusive reporting mechanisms under PECA and beyond
As Pakistan’s digital population surges past 120 million, the country stands at a crossroads: allow online spaces to become the new frontier for gender-based violence, or lead South Asia in building a safer, more inclusive internet.
