Women’s Parliamentary Caucus holds Parliamentary Dialogue on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
ISLAMABAD: A Parliamentary Dialogue chaired by Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC), was held at the National Assembly Secretariat in collaboration with UNDP and WHO. Organized as part of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the Dialogue focused on the alarming rise of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
The session was attended by Members of the National Assembly including: Dr. Shahida Rehmani, Ms. Farrukh Khan, Syeda Shehla Raza, Ms. Saira Afzal Tarar, Ms. Nuzhat Sadiq, Ms. Kiran Imran Dar, Ms. Sofia Saeed Shah, Ms. Asia Naz Tanoli, Ms. Naeema Kishwar Khan, Ms. Shamaila Rana, Ms. Mussarat Rafique Mahesar, Dr. Shaista Khan, Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, Ms. Asia Ishaq Siddiqui, Ms. Huma Chughtai, Ms. Shazia Farid, Dr. Sharmila Farooqi, Ms. Sabeen Ghoury, Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, and Ms. Rana Ansar.
In her opening remarks, Dr. Shahida Rehmani urged all stakeholders—government institutions, legislators, UN partners, civil society, technology companies, and communities, to work collectively to ensure that digital spaces are safe, inclusive, and free from violence. She emphasized that digital violence must be treated with the same seriousness as offline abuse.
The Dialogue brought together Members of Parliament, WPC officials, representatives of UNDP and WHO, civil society stakeholders, and digital-rights advocates. Among the distinguished participants was Van Nguyen, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, who reaffirmed UNDP’s sustained commitment to combatting digital violence.
Also in attendance was Dr. Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Pakistan. In his remarks, Dr. Luo underscored that as digital spaces rapidly evolve, women and girls face growing threats to their mental health and wellbeing. Highlighting WHO’s increasing global concern over online and technology-facilitated violence, he noted the severe psychological and physical harms, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and threats to dignity and safety, and emphasized the urgent need to protect digital wellbeing.
During the Dialogue, Members of Parliament expressed grave concern over the rising incidents of online harassment, cyber-stalking, doxxing, non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and other forms of digital abuse. They stressed that TFGBV constitutes a serious violation of fundamental human rights and gravely undermines women’s dignity, security, and participation in public life.
Participants stressed the need for broad-based awareness campaigns, enhanced digital-literacy initiatives, creation of safe online environments, and robust survivor-centred support services.
There was strong consensus on the urgency of developing comprehensive legislation to address TFGBV, strengthening enforcement mechanisms, and ensuring accountability for perpetrators—including individuals and negligent digital platforms.
Van Nguyen reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting national institutions and civil society in eliminating all forms of gender-based violence, including digital violence, in line with the objectives of the global 16 Days of Activism campaign.
Dr. Luo Dapeng reiterated WHO’s continued support towards strengthening national capacities for prevention, response, mental-health services, and data-driven interventions to address digital violence—affirming that “online safety is a public-health and human-rights priority.”
The Parliamentary Dialogue concluded with a unanimous resolve: immediate steps will be initiated to draft and advance comprehensive legislation to criminalize technology-facilitated gender-based violence, safeguard survivors, enhance digital-safety standards across public and private sectors, and launch nationwide awareness and prevention campaigns.
