UNIC PR: United Nations marks ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ in Pakistan"

Five events, coupled with ‘Seen & Unseen’ Art exhibition, alert on intensification of digital violence against women and girls

ISLAMABAD, December 2nd, 2025 – Today, the United Nations in Pakistan marked the ’16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence’ by calling for urgent global action against digital violence during an event at Islamabad’s Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). It alerted on the need to adapt the legislation to evolving technologies as nearly half of the world’s women and girls lack legal protection from digital abuse.

The event, chaired by the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, in presence of UN Women Regional Director, Christine Arab, also marked the opening of ‘Seen & Unseen’, an Art exhibition featuring renowned Pakistani artists, with Prof. Salima Hashmi as Honorary Advisor. It was part of a series of four other UN events that discussed how to keep women and girls safe online, and empower them to lead and shape the digital future, in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta.

“Technology has transformed the nature of abuse, and our laws, institutions, and social responses must evolve accordingly,” said Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Human Rights and Chief Guest, at the Islamabad event. “The Government of Pakistan is committed to strengthening legal protections, expanding access to justice, and ensuring that every woman and girl can participate in society—online and offline—with safety, dignity, and equality.”

The five events brought together the Government, law enforcement, the legislature, and civil society, together with IOM, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIC, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN WOMEN, and WHO. They took place in Punjab Safe City Authorities in Lahore on 25 November, Governor House in Quetta on 27 November, Peshawar Stadium on 1 December, and PNCA Islamabad on 2 December, with support from Marriott Islamabad. The fifth event will take place at State Bank of Pakistan Museum in Karachi on 4 December.

“During the 16 Days of Activism, we must invest in the vision and leadership of young people,” said Christine Arab, UN Women Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “When innovation is shaped by gender equality, we create digital spaces where women and girls are not just included, but protected, empowered and able to thrive,” she added as she launched UN Women’s Firewall Feminist Lab.

Digital violence is spreading at an alarming speed fueled by artificial intelligence, anonymity, and a lack of effective laws and accountability. It comes under many forms -- online harassment, cyberstalking, doxing, non-consensual image sharing, deep fakes, and disinformation. Digital abuse can spill into real life, sometimes leading to physical violence. 

“The digital world promised connection and empowerment. Yet for millions of women and girls across the world, it has become a minefield of harassment and abuse,” said Pernille Ironside, Acting UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator. “We cannot let online platforms become yet another space where women and girls are silenced, shamed, and intimidated -- in Pakistan or across the world. We must urgently adapt the legislation to evolving technologies, and end the impunity of both perpetrators and online platforms. Just like the offline world, the online world should not threaten women and girls, but help them thrive. There is no excuse for online abuse.”

During the event, UNDP and UNPFA introduced their work around digital and technology-facilitated gender-based violence; IOM shared testimonies of survivors; UNFPA launched its new Reels ‘Salma Lives’ about child marriage; and WHO shared its perspective on the clinical and health impact of gender-based violence.

The United Nations calls for: 1) Global cooperation to ensure digital platforms and AI tools meet safety and ethics standards; 2) Support for survivors of digital violence by funding women’s rights organizations; 3) Holding perpetrators accountable through better laws and enforcement; 4) Tech companies to step up by hiring more women to create safer online spaces, removing harmful content quickly, and responding to reports of abuse; 5) Investments in prevention and culture change through digital literacy and online safety training for women and girls, and programmes that challenge toxic online cultures.

Note to editors

According to World Bank data, fewer than 40 per cent of countries have laws protecting women from cyber harassment or cyber stalking. This leaves 44 per cent of the world’s women and girls – 1.8 billion – without access to legal protection. Reporting of online abuse and violence remains low, justice systems are ill-equipped, and online platforms face little accountability. The rise of AI-generated abuse has only deepened impunity across borders and platforms. But there are signs of progress, as laws in many countries are beginning to evolve to meet the challenges of technological change. As of 2025, 117 countries reported efforts addressing digital violence, but efforts remain fragmented for a transnational challenge.

About the ‘Seen & Unseen’ Exhibition

The exhibition brings together 19 artists from across Pakistan  on the occasion of the ’16 Days of Activism’ campaign -- AB Rahman, Adeela Suleman, Aiman Amin, Ali Abbas, Amna Manzoor, Amna Rahman, Amra Khan, Aroosa Rana, Bibi Hajra, Feroza Hakeem, Laila Rahman, Mehrosh Alam, Natasha Malik, Niamat Nigar, Noormah Jamal, Shamir Iqtedar, Tahir Zaman, Ubaid Tariq, and Zahra Jokhio. It is curated by Fang Wang Linulf and Usman Ahmed, and directed by Catherine Weibel (UN Information Centre / UNIC). Salima Hashmi, Professor Emeritus at Beaconhouse National University (BNU), is the Honorary Advisor. The exhibition is supported by ‘Sami & Nakai’, a firm specializing in Architectural and Interior Design and Heritage Conservation. It was coordinated by Mahvash Haider Ali and Kainat Afridi (UNIC), with logistics from Human Design. The exhibition will run at PNCA Islamabad from 3 to 13 December. Entry is free.

About the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is a global campaign led by UN Women under the UNiTE to End Violence against Women initiative. It runs each year from 25 November to 10 December, connecting the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Human Rights Day. In 2025, the campaign focuses on ending digital violence against all women and girls – one of the fastest-evolving forms of abuse worldwide. Digital violence includes online harassment, stalking, gendered disinformation, deepfakes, and non-consensual sharing of intimate images, all of which are rising sharply as technology advances. The 2025 UNiTE campaign calls on governments, technology companies, and communities to act now – to strengthen laws, end impunity, and hold platforms accountable. It urges sustained investment in prevention, digital literacy, and survivor-centred services. It also calls for long-term support to women’s rights organizations that are leading efforts to make digital spaces safe and inclusive for all.

About the UN in Pakistan

The UN works in support of five priorities agreed between the UN and Pakistan, and to help achieve the 17 Global Goals (SDGs) to end extreme poverty, inequality, and mitigate climate change. The following UN agencies, funds and programmes are working in Pakistan: FAO, IFAD, ILO, IOM, ITC, OCHA, UN-HABITAT, UN WOMEN, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNIC, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNODC, UNOPS, UNV, WFP and WHO. You can follow the UN in Pakistan on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

For more information, please contact:

United Nations Information Centre in Pakistan (UNIC)
Catherine Weibel, catherine.weibel@un.org, +92 300 854 0058
Mahvash Haider Ali, mahvash.ali@un.org, +92 319 071 2828