School of Law and Policy (SLP)

Permanent URI for this community

https://escholar.umt.edu.pk/handle/123456789/3855

Browse

Browsing School of Law and Policy (SLP) by Author "Adiy Hassan Khan"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Cyber harassment
    (UMT.Lahore, 2024) Ms. Motiba Ejaz; Mr. Ali Haider; Adiy Hassan Khan
    While the overall cybercrime in Pakistan is on the rise; the cybercrime against women and especially in the form of harassment is even worse. It is a growing topic of interest, which are result of both progress in technology and the existence of ongoing social problems. This work aims at understanding the nature of cyber harassment and the various forms it takes, to review the existing data on the prevalence, and the current legal and social solutions for the problem, based on a qualitative study. Cyber harassment is rather common and may take multiple shapes despite the adoption of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016; there are still many hurdles in adopting an appropriate framework to combat such crimes. Cultural stigmas surrounding abuse fear of reprisals such as, victim-blaming and poor understanding of the digital rights and the law. Furthermore, the study also illustrates the weaknesses of the law enforcement agencies which are most of the times bereft of enough logistical support, manpower and training and lack of awareness and care on gender based cyber violence. Solutions proposed are to expand the legal frameworks to promote the education campaigns on the use of digital technologies for both students and general public. All in all, this study recommends that the fight against cyber harassment should be controlled through legal changes, education, and awareness campaign. Lastly, the study aims at developing a safer and friendlier environment for women of Pakistan in the digital platform. Keywords: digital violence, cyber harassment, harassment against women, social media, digital rights, PECA, digital world