Everything has become digital, so has crime. In the modern era of digitalisation, there is a growing trend of digital harassment. Social media campaigns and hate comments against women are taken as normal. It reflects the mindset of society where gender inequality prevails. At that time, when women are becoming financially independent and are breaking the stereotypes of society, a particular community of men cannot bear women achieving something that they can’t or what they think is only for men.
Men think of themselves as superior and women as inferior. They think that women are not capable of leading, but they become frustrated when they see women doing wonders. The male-dominant mindset has given rise to harassment. The women who are in positions that affect policy-making are more prone to digital harassment. Instead of doing a critique of their decisions and work, men usually start their character assassination at online platforms. Female politicians frequently face this type of harassment. The supporters of their opposition parties question their character. It’s the lowest level of ethical and moral bankruptcy.
CM Punjab Maryam Nawaz has been a long-time victim of character assassination campaigns. Edited videos and derogatory and gender-based remarks are used against her on social media. You can criticise her policies and the legitimacy of her government, but posting vulgar content against her on social media is totally unacceptable. These kinds of activities force women to stay away from politics.
There should be strict laws to cope with it, and political parties should distance themselves from this kind of immorality. Everyone deserves respect, and no one has the right to degrade someone only because of political differences. Not only professional women or politicians face harassment; common women also face this if they refuse friendship offers, proposals or advances from a man.
In October 2025, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi bench acquitted a girl named Aneeqa Atiq over allegations of blasphemy. She was sentenced to death by the trial court in 2022 and has been in jail since then. She argued that a boy named Hasnat approached her through an online gaming app, and when she refused, he dragged her into a religious conversation and then registered a case against her for revenge (Aljazeera news). It is pathetic that men take rejection of their so-called ego and don’t even fear ruining someone’s life.
A point worth considering here is that Hasnat was not punished for falsely accusing Aneeqa. There is no punishment for false testimonies in the blasphemy laws of our country, due to which people use it as a weapon for revenge. In such a sensitive case where mostly there is a lack of evidence, judgements are based on the testimonies, and even a false accusation can lead someone to death because the death penalty is the punishment. There is a dire need to amend these laws so no one can use them for personal grudges. Punishments for false testimonies should be introduced. Laws are meant to give protection to the public, not endangering their lives.
The increasing rate of online harassment is a question mark on the moral values of our society. Everything has its own advantages and disadvantages. Social media is like a knife; you can use it to cut fruits or also to cut someone’s throat. The decision is yours. Nothing itself is bad; its use makes it good or bad. Nowadays, artificial intelligence is a part and parcel of our lives, and it’s very helpful in certain ways, but we are more inclined towards its negative use. Sadly, AI-generated images are used against opponents.
According to the Digital Rights Foundation, 1772 cases of cyber harassment involving women were received in the year 2024. These include disinformation campaigns, non-consensual intimate images (NCII), AI-generated images during elections and privacy invasions. The women are targeted to blackmail them or damage their reputations. These are only the cases that were reported. Unreported cases are also in a large number. This is a sad reality of our society. We have to consider which way our nation is going. We need moral uplift because moral bankruptcy undermines the very foundations of a society.