Helpline notes transgender community subjected to orchestrated online hate campaign this year
The Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) has released its sixth annual Cyber Harassment Helpline Report for 2022. The helpline completed six years of operations since its launch in December 2016.
The helpline has received 14,376 cases in the last six years. In 2022, it reported a total of 2,695 new cases with an average number of 224 new cases received each month, November 2022 being the busiest month.
While reports can be submitted through their helpline and online complaint form, feedback from multiple complainants shows that these methods are not reliable and the most efficient way to submit a complaint is through in-person complaints.
Furthermore, the helpline occasionally receives complaints from people outside Pakistan (106 in 2022), both Pakistani and non-Pakistani citizens, where the lack of physical presence or representative within the country to file a case with the FIA can be a challenge.
The report also includes a set of recommendations for policymakers and LEAs regarding online harassment cases in the country.
For policymakers, the report recommends addressing the existing digital gender divide in the country by removing financial, safety, and social barriers that women face when accessing digital devices and internet spaces.
The report recommends the FIA enhance its technical expertise by investing in a continuous capacity-building process in order to overcome the investigative delay in cybercrime complaints.
Furthermore, regular gender sensitivity training be provided to officials of cyber crime wings. DRF also recommends investment in research at the cyber crime wings to cater to the needs of the litigants and complainants.
