Increasing Cyber Harassment Complaints during COVID-19 in Pakistan Shows there is Less Humanity Left

Between the imposition and ease of lockdown in Pakistan following the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of our dear land are divided into different sets of the group with mixed beliefs. While one group of people is busy in saving themselves from coronavirus, following all the SOPs advised by government, there is another group who believes that we should bow down to Allah and ask for forgiveness for all our sins we have committed in the past with the promise not to repeat them in future. There is also a group who believes that virtual education is not possible, so all private schools should be allowed to open their branches. At the same time, the telecom operators are asking for relief in tax during these crises. No doubt, everyone has made COVID-19 a business. But among all these groups there is a worst of all that is utilizing this free time in harassing people, specifically women, online. This is evident from Increasing cyber harassment complaints during COVID-19 in Pakistan.

Cyber harassment complaints during COVID-19 in Pakistan Surged

Yesterday, we received a PR which revealed that Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) has reported a 189 per cent increase in complaints registered with its Cyber Harassment Helpline during Pakistan’s coronavirus lockdown as compared to 47 such complaints in regular days. It means there is an increase of 189pc when compared to the complaints received before lockdown.

While companies are offering free webinars and courses to help people upskill themselves instead of wasting time, our Pakistani awaam is busy in harassing each other. Does it make a sense? While there is a sign for us in this era of virus that we need to turn to Allah, I feel sad that the poor habits of people are increasing instead of decreasing.

No doubt, the women in Pakistan have remained a victim of gender violence including sexual harassment, illegal use of their intimate pictures and personal information leakage; I believe we have very less humanity left in us. No doubt, it’s shameful news and instead of blaming the authorities, we need to look into ourselves and make use of our abilities in the best things that are beneficial for our professional lives instead of later on crying over spilt milk.

Also Read: KP Launches a Mobile App to Report Abuse and Harassment