Pakistan

Privacy rights are becoming increasingly important and especially in the context of increasing datafication. Shmyla Khan of Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan talks about the ways in which privacy rights are relevant, used and abused in the lives of women and gender diverse people.

A report that examines the overlapping concerns of gender, privacy, surveillance, and gender-based violence in Asia, Europe, Africa, Latin America, North America. The report raises issues including gender-based violence in the private sphere, rigid gender categories in identity programs its impact on trans people, etc.

The rise of dating apps allows women to take control of their social life and their choices. In this article Hija Kamran speaks to many women in Pakistan about their experience of online dating, both good and bad, whether it allows for challenging of conservative social norms or it leaves women vulnerable to abuse and other risks.

The emerging sub-field of research around gender and digital technology is united in its understanding that gender biases and stereotypes are embedded in technology, and that this reproduces the existing problems around gender parity, gender-based violence, discrimination and exclusion on the internet. This report is a mapping of the research around gender and digital technology in the decade…

Pakistani women have always struggled to navigate public spheres given the scrutiny and violence that they are subjected to. But they're now fighting back by taking their space in the online public spaces that enables them to access an audience on their own terms. Yet, it comes at a cost.

Pakistan government has recently introduced various laws to curb online violence. However, the undemocratic processes with which these laws have been drafted point towards their ability to directly target citizens' civil liberties on the internet. Moaz Bhangu speaks to women content creators who have been self-censoring to stay safe online.

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.

Sex workers in Pakistan moved to the internet to seek clientele as the famous red light district in Pakistan faced government crackdown and cultural oppression. But how has their experience been working through online platforms? Hira Nadeem speaks to sex workers who made the shift.

Women gamers in Pakistan struggle to play safely amidst increasing online harassment they face in online gaming communities in the country. Momina Mindeel speaks to some women gamers to understand the extent of this violence and the strategies they employ to remain safe.

The internet has given a space for self-expression to Pakistani LGBTQIA+ people. Where there are risks of being targeted as a result of this visibility, many young queer folks are finding a sense of community through the expression of those around them.