Women Journalists and Allies Express Outrage at the Murder of Shaheena Shaheen and Demand Concrete Measures of Ensure Safety of Journalists
September 14, 2020What Is Emotional Regulation And Why Is It So Important?
September 25, 2020Online Campaigns and Initiatives
#HamaraInternet #MehfoozInternet
Under the Cyber Harassment Helpline advocacy campaigns, a comic strip with impactful graphics was released online which focused on victim blaming of cyber harassment. The comic strip highlighted how victim blaming decreases the likelihood that survivors will share their traumatic experience and seek support. It called on the audiences to take action against this attitude and shift the blame from the victim to the perpetrator.
In order to combat cyber bullying, which ruins people’s online experiences, we need to understand why people do this so that we are able to design our strategies accordingly. DRF released an infographic to shed light on some of these reasons.
DRF also launched another campaign called ‘A to Z of Cyber Harassment’, in which we unpack everything that makes up cyber harassment and what we need to know to protect ourselves online.
DRF’s Digital Detox Campaign
As part of DRF’s ongoing advocacy around raising awareness on cyber harassment, it shared and encouraged its audience online to participate in Bingos on various digital rights issues. One of the bingos, ‘how many of these steps do you take for your digital detox?’ had the highest number of interactions and retweets. It was also well-received on Instagram with many followers self-reflecting and pledging to do a better digital detox for their well-being. Another bingo focused on what entails cyber bullying behavior as a first step to understand what people need to do to make online spaces safe for all.
#ActivismInPandemic
DRF has launched the #ActivismInPandemic campaign highlighting the important work human rights defenders and journalists have been doing during COVID19. The campaign aims to share experiences of journalists and HRDs during the pandemic and also highlight the importance of managing work and stress during these testing times.
Policy initiatives
Cyber Harassment Helpline July Statistics
Cyber Harassment Helpline received 697 complaints in the month of July. In comparison to the previous months prior lockdown , this is a huge number. It shows a spike in the cases of online violence especially blackmailing through non consensual use of information and images. Another observed trend is of social engineering through which people are coerced into sharing their personal details like National Identity Card number, WhatsApp code, bank account details and, e-wallet details making them susceptible to hacking and financial fraud.
In July we’ve seen an almost 70% increase in cases reported to our Helpline. As we’ve seen in the past, Facebook and WhatsApp were platforms from where the most cases originated. We need to all work together to make the internet a safer space.@unwomen_pak @aisha_mukhtar pic.twitter.com/vBAxpDWGBM
— Digital Rights Foundation (@DigitalRightsPK) August 12, 2020
Media Coverage
Pakistani journalists stand up against online harassment
Ramsha Jahangir, our member of the Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights highlighted how online spaces have been weaponized recently. In DRF’s study ‘Fostering Open Spaces in Pakistan’ it was found that women in journalism and activism were subjected to online harassment and abuse.
Read the full article here around harassment that women journalists have been facing:
https://ipi.media/pakistani-journalists-stand-up-against-online-harassment/
Pakistan tells Youtube to block ‘objectionable’ content’
DRF’s Nighat Dad shared her thoughts around Pakistan’s statement to Youtube regarding objectionable content on the platforms.
Read the full article here:
https://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-tells-youtube-block-objectionable-102002066.html
DRF on Coffee Table with Mina Malik Hussain on domestic violence
29 August 2020: A discussion on domestic violence
DRF’s Dania Mukhtar participated on Indus News on the show Coffee Table with Mina Malik Hussain with Kanwal Ahmed (Founder of Soul Sisters) around domestic violence. Dania highlighted the cases the cyber harassment helpline has received around domestic violence and also mentioned Ab Aur Nahin as a resource to victims of domestic violence.
Events and Sessions
DRF on International Youth Day on webinar on Breaking Barriers for Meaningful Youth Engagement
‘Sometimes it takes anger to open up spaces for women!’ Golden words by @nighatdad on the occasion of international #YouthDay 👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/hLc8PPJCLD
— Maryam Inam (@MaryamInam4) August 12, 2020
DRF’s Nighat Dad shared her thoughts on International Youth Day on ‘Breaking Barriers for Meaningful Youth Engagement’. Nighat highlighted on the digital dividend to engage youth across the country and globally. She also highlighted the struggle it takes for women to reclaim spaces.
DRF on NHRF’s discussion on protection of HRDs and their work
DRF participated in a discussion hosted by the Norwegian Human Rights Fund (NHRF) around protection of HRDs and their work. Nighat Dad participated in the discussion and shed light on the online safety trainings the organization has conducted due to NHRF’s help and support.
Thank you all for many interesting and energetic discussions regarding the protection of #HRD & #HumanRights work!@NRC_Egeland @Utenriksdept @BHRRC @hhri_org @omctorg @kirken @lonorge @AtlasAlliansen @Amnesty_Norge @JohnPeder @DigitalRightsPK @smr_uio @nighatdad @dooley_dooley pic.twitter.com/IECGfhiEC6
— Norwegian Human Rights Fund (@nhrf_hrd) August 25, 2020
DRF at Right To Information: Need, Use and Status on 14th August
DRF participated in a panel discussion hosted by the Senior Journalists Forum on ‘Right to Information: Need, Use and Status’. The webinar took place on 14th August and highlighted the importance of right to information and its current use and status within the country.
DRF at “Digital Pakistan – The Future of Politics: Lessons and Opportunities” on 21st August
DRF participated in the webinar ‘Digital Pakistan- The Future of Politics: Lessons and Opportunities’ on 21st August. The session was organized by the Senior Journalists Forum and focused on the use of digital technologies for politics and mobilization.
DRF hosted a tweetchat on ‘How Activism has changed post COVID19’
DRF organized a tweetchat on 26th August 2020, around how activism has changed post COVID19. The participants in the tweetchat were Nighat Dad (lawyer, human rights activist and Facebook oversight board member), Imaan Mazari (lawyer and human rights activist), Moneeza Ahmed (feminist, humanistic therapist and an activist focusing on community development) and Sabin Muzaffar (founder and executive director of Ananke- a digital platform empowering women through awareness, advocacy and education). The tweetchat was an extension of DRF’s online campaign on #ActivismInPandemic and highlighted the key issues activists have been facing during COVID19 and what social media companies can do in order to protect them.
DRF at ‘Implementing SDG 16.10.1 (Protection of Women Journalist and Media Workers) for ensuring gender response media environment in Pakistan on 28th August
DRF participated in the Sustainable Development Goal 16.10.1 which focused on protection of women journalists and media workers on the 28th of August. DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke about the threats female journalists are facing in the cyber world and also highlighted the importance of a gender responsive media environment in the session.
DRF in Provincial Consultation on Gender Bases Violence- Strengthening the Response
DRF participated in an ‘Provincial Consultation on Gender Based Violence – Strengthening the Response’ under the Awaz II program organized by Peace & Justice Network (PJN) held on 26 August 2020. The purpose of the consultation was to identify specific advocacy points to prevent and address gender-based violence in Punjab. In addition to assessing the legislative and institutional frameworks, the consultation also examined how prevalent social norms can be changed by both improving women’s access to legal processes regarding the registration and prosecution of crimes as well as addressing public shame. The deliberations of the consultation would be used to inform the advocacy agenda for the Aawaz Provincial Forum.
Digital Safety Conference by LACAS and DRF
August 7 – August 8
DRF and LACAS, in collaboration, hosted the “Digital Safety Conference” to create a better understanding of how the digital world works and its impact on students. Moreover, bring students, teachers and parents on the same page of how to deal with the pressing issues related to the digital world. The event was held virtually and included representatives from a social media company, legal specialists, mental health counselors and student speakers. The two panels in the conference included “Cyberbullying, its Impact and being a Responsible Netizens” and “Parenting in the age of the internet”.
Facebook Live Session: Will banning the internet fix the mental health pandemic?
Our mental health expert, Saba Sabir, conducted an informative live session on the link between online spaces and mental health. We explored the possibility that while online spaces can result in tangible mental health harms, it is also a space for connection and expression particularly at a time where we are socially distancing. The session can be accessed here.
DRF conducted a session with Dastak on Online Safety
DRF conducted a semi-advanced online safety session with the team members of Dastak Charitable Organization on the 7th of August, 2020.
The session covered apps and tools that can be used to increase safety in the digital space.
DRF organized a session with AWAM on Online Safety
DRF organized a second session with the Faislabad-based organization AWAM as a part of its interaction with civil society organizations on the 25th of August, 2020.
The session covered apps and tools that can be used to increase safety in the digital space.
DRF’s session with WISE on Cyber Harassment and Online Safety
DRF collaborated with WISE on the 7th of August and hosted a session around the internet and online safety. The session was attended by female students, teachers and community activists. The session focused on cyber harassment and introduced the cyber harassment helpline as a resource to the participants along with other intitiaves like Ab aur nahin (providing legal pro bono service to domestic abuse and harassment victims) and IWF portal (to report child sexual abuse online).
Privacy Laws in Pakistan
Zainab Durrani from DRF participated in a session of PCL Talks hosted by Pakistan College of Law and LEAP Pakistan that covered privacy laws in Pakistan. The discussion centered around privacy as a concept in general, as a right and now a digital necessity. Zainab discussed the cultural connotations of privacy and DRF’s position on the current Personal Data Protection Bill.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=691556761717106&ref=watch_permalink
Gender sensitization session with journalists
DRF conducted a two-day online workshop on 9th-10th August 2020 on gender-sensitive reporting for women journalists and content creators. The workshop was attended by 14 participants. It also had a dedicated session on covering covid-19 from a gender-sensitive perspective. The training included a practical component after completion that required all participants to submit a short story covered from a gender-sensitive perspective.
Data Privacy in Asia
Our Project Manager Zainab Durrani participated in a tweet chat organized by Undatify Me that looked into the current privacy laws and regulations in Asia. The chat covered any issues with these laws, campaigns and movements that converged on the overall theme of privacy and the existing resources for people who want to learn more about these themes and the need for more such resources and reliable literature to be developed around it.
DRF with the support of FNF hosted two sessions of the Hamara Internet Online Safety Program
DRF hosted two sessions with the support of FNF with young adults in the Hamara Internet Online Safety Program. The sessions were conducted by DRF’s five youth ambassadors who focused on privacy and data protection of young adults in the country. The youth ambassadors were divided into teams and Team A conducted the session on 21st August with their group whereas Team B conducted their session on 22nd August with their respective group.
Sessions with Anew and FNF
Our partner FNF provided our team members with the wonderful opportunity to attend a 4-part training course with the team at Anew where they learnt about and discussed meaningful and impactful engagement, especially given the myriad of restrictions with conducting sessions and interacting with stakeholders and audience. These sessions took place in the last two weeks of August and were just the need of the hour for our trainers.
COVID19 Updates
Cyber Harassment Helpline
Because of the observed increase in cyber harassment complaints during COVID 19 lockdown, DRF made its cyber harassment helpline operational 24/7 for three months. The cyber harassment helpline is offering the services free of cost for anyone who calls in or reaches out to us via social media or email. These include legal aid, the digital help desk, and mental health counseling. During these three months, our toll-free number is accessible every day of the week, from 9 AM to 5 PM, our mental health counselors are working from 10 AM to 9 PM each day as well. Our mental health counselors are trained professionals providing free of cost counseling to women and marginalized communities. During all other hours of the day, our team is attending to complaints and queries through online platforms.
Contact the helpline on 080039393 or email us on helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk. You can also reach out to us on our social media channels.
Ab Aur Nahin
In times of COVID19 domestic abuse is at an all-time high where victims do not have anywhere to go. Ab Aur Nahin is a confidential legal and counselor support service specifically designed for victims of harassment and abuse.
www.abaurnahin.pk
IWF Portal
DRF in collaboration with Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the Global Fund to End Violence Against Children launched a portal to combat children’s online safety in Pakistan. The new portal allows internet users in Pakistan to anonymously report child sexual abuse amterial in three different languaged- English, Urdu and Pashto. The reports will then be assessed by trained IWF analysts in the UK.
www.report.iwf.org.uk/pk
