April Newsletter 2022: DRF launches Annual Report 2021
May 10, 2022June 2022 Newsletter: Digital Rights Foundation launches its first Digital 50.50 for 2022
July 13, 2022Policy Initiatives
DRF releases Cyber Harassment Helpline Annual Report 2021
This month, the 2021 Annual Helpline Report was launched with a weeklong social media campaign which was covered by all major press publications in the country. Videos featuring women journalists’ experience with online harassment by virtue of their gender and profession were also shared, as well as videos featuring graphics of some statistics from the report.
Link to report: https://staging-m.digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/helpline-annual-report-2021-1.pdf
Cyber Harassment Helpline Policy Brief 2022
DRF is proud to launch the Cyber Harassment Helpline: 2022 Policy Brief, highlighting the risks that women journalists face in online spaces.
Click here to read the full policy brief: https://staging-m.digitalrightsfoundation.pk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Policy-Brief-2.pdf
Online Campaigns
Twitter Space: How can the Cyber Harassment Helpline you?
Journalists Tehreem Azeem and Sabah Bano Malik joined Nighat Dad for a Twitter Space titled ‘How can the Cyber Harassment Helpline help you?’
Link to space: https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1527180770074406912?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA
World Press Freedom Day
On this World Press Freedom Day DRF held a campaign on press freedom which started off with a tribute to journalists who lost their lives to bring credible information to the public. Infographics related to the ten challenges that journalists faced in the digital world were slao shared.
Twitter Space on World Press Freedom Day 2022
DRF held a Twitter space on 6th May on account of World Press Freedom Day regarding press freedom with Mehmal Sarfaraz, Amber Shamsi, Munizae Jahangir and Nighat Dad. In the Twitter Space women journalists highlighted their experiences in the field and the trolling they face on the internet.
Stories of Women Journalists and their experiences with Cyber Harassment
DRF introduces its series on ‘Stories of Women Journalists & their experiences with Cyber Harassment.’ The stories capture these women’s experiences of the internet & how they were targeted online because of their work.
#SahafatAurSachai https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1529417001264766976?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1529779380062343169?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1531953705808850946?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA
DRF’s Cyber Harassment Helpline in collaboration with the FIA working together to stop online harassment
One of the services that the Cyber Harassment Helpline provides is legal guidance in the face of online harassment. We regularly refer and work with the FIA to provide relief to our complainants. The Cyber Harassment Helpline is available 7 days a week from 9 am till 5 pm (Monday to Sunday). Call us on 0800-39393, email us at
helpdesk@digitalrightsfoundation.pk, or reach out to us on Twitter.
Press/Media Coverage
DRF’s Nighat Dad joined Capital Talk to discuss online harassment against women journalists
DRF’s Nighat Dad joined Hamid Mir’s Capital Talk show to highlight harassment online that women and women journalists face. She also focused on structural reform and due process in the system to provide protection.
https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1522576920768000000?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA
How DRF’s Women-Led Team Provides Support To Victims Of Cyber Harassment Amid Govt’s Indifference
DRF’s Cyber Harassment Helpline Annual Report was covered by the Friday Times highlighting the accomplishments of the helpline.
Cyber Harassment Helpline 2021 Report Release at Lahore Rang
Lahore Rang: The Cyber Harassment Helpline Manager appeared on the Good Morning Lahore show to talk about the 2021 Helpline Annual Report. She talked about the different types of cases that the Helpline receives, the role of law enforcement agencies, and what people can do to protect themselves online.
Trainings’/Workshops
Journalism Under Digital Seige: World Press Freedom Day
DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke on a panel in Islamabad held by UNESCO titled, ‘Journalism Under Digital Seige’ on account of World Press Freedom Day. She emphasized taking a multi-stakeholder approach to any regulatory mechanism which is to be applied to the internet and social media.
Digital rights from a feminist perspective. How to create a secure digital space for women?
DRF’s Nighat Dad spoke at the Palestine Digital Activism Forum on the panel ‘Digital Rights from a Feminist Perspective. How to create a secure digital space for women?’. Nighat focused on the need for women to reclaim online spaces and express ourselves freely without the threat of trolling online.
Participation in IAF Seminar
DRF and Pakistan were represented at the 2022 IAF Seminar on ‘Liberalism v Populism’ by Project Manager Zainab Durrani from the 8th to the 20th of May in Gummersbach, Germany. The seminar attempted to deconstruct populism in a holistic manner by analyzing populism from the perspectives of its philosophical foundations, its political strategy with international case studies to its current-day political communication strategy. The methodology was a mix of theory with practice with a particular focus on the aspect of political storytelling. The seminar was facilitated by Sven Gerst, a veteran IAF instructor and PhD candidate at the King’s College London and Radu Magdin, a global analyst and consultant who specializes in political communications. The seminar saw 25 participants from 22 countries around the world and was a deeply interesting experience with a sharp and informative learning curve that was coupled with team-building and idea-exchanging group activities, leading to a very rewarding experience overall.
Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) Conference
DRF took part in the 15th international Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) conference. Shmyla Khan spoke at the panel titled “Datafication and Platformisation in Asia: Data-Rich and Policy-Poor or Vice Versa?” on May 24, 2022. The panel, moderated by Malavika Jayaram, unpacked the specific ways in which datafication and platformisation across Asia are both enabling and challenging, and their implications for rights, entitlements, and consumer welfare while highlighting recent legal and policy developments (in China, Pakistan, Singapore).
Details of the panel can be found here.
DRF Updates
Cyber Harassment Helpline
Cyber Harassment Helpline now 7 Days a week
DRF’s Cyber Harassment Helpline is now switching to 7 days a week. You can now call us on 0800-39393 Monday till Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm.
April Statistics
In April 2022 the Cyber Harassment Helpline received 195 complaints from across the country. The majority of the complaints received were by women of blackmail and sharing of NCUI (non-consensual use of information).
https://twitter.com/DigitalRightsPK/status/1524034023349276674?s=20&t=G_kS6ZgFnCJpPmyT8dknqA
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 material in three different languages- English, Urdu, and Pashto.
StopNCII.org
Meta along with Revenge Porn Helpline (RPH) has launched a portal to support victims of Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse (NCII). NCII is a free portal for reporting cases of sensitive or sexual content existing online. Once you report a case, the necessary steps will be taken to block the images from the platform.
