Women make up half the population of Pakistan, and yet they're routinely denied access to identification documents based on patriarchal and archaic policies that reject any sense of autonomy over their personhood independent of men around them. Zainab Durrani speaks to some of the women who were subjected to these policies.

In this editorial, authors have focused on unpacking the impact of internet and digital rights from an intersectional feminist perspective showcasing the everyday realities of women through Feminist Internet Research conducted in Democratic Republic of Congo; Sudan; trans, non-binary and gender diverse communities in Botswana, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda; and the LGBTQIA+ communities in Turkiye.

In this piece, as a way of forward looking and forging a radical possibilities, FIRN team has compiled evidence based research recommendations for multiple stakeholders in this field to recognise, address, and prevent online gender based violence across our communities. We also invite these stakeholders to reimagine and reconstruct an internet that is a safe place for all people, especially those from marginalised communities.

In this piece, authors Rebecca Ryakitimbo, Jean Mwimbi and Bulanda Tapiwa Nkhowani engage with the experiences of online gender based violence (OGBV) against women journalists, women human rights defenders and everyday women in Democratic Republic of Congo. They advocate for a holistic approach in framing, understanding and analysing the impact of technology facilitated gender based violence on freedom of expression and freedom of association.

Through the article, two feminist researchers from Sudan show us the ways in which online and offline experiences of violence are connected. The research investigates varied aspects of patriarchal control that forbids women’s access to technological devices and free usage of it. At the same time, they trace the impact of complicated political and social dynamics including economic sanctions have on the ways in which women experience technology.

The piece written by Damla Umut Uzun explores the research on digital violence against LGBTQIA+ users in Turkiye. By sharing experiences of violence, their trajectory online, the piece aims to understand the dynamics of online gender-based violence for this understudied community within the country where there is scarce protection with a lot of political driven hate against them.