Pakistan: CFWIJ Joins Pakistani Women Journalists’ Campaign Against Vicious Social Media Attacks
Location: Pakistan, Islamabad
Date: August 12, 2020
The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) has joined hands with Pakistani women journalists in a campaign to combat online violence and hacking attempts against them.
Women journalists in Pakistan are encountering vicious social media attacks, doxing, and hacking attempts by accounts affiliated to the ruling party and conservative, right-wing elements in the country. Such deplorable acts further draw our attention to the grim environment against women journalists and press freedom.
This year alone, we have documented at least nine different cases of threats and violence against women journalists in Pakistan, including cases of online harassment and abuse. Most women journalists in Pakistan are largely attacked due to their gender by conservative and misogynistic individuals. They are openly abused, subjected to malicious online smear campaigns questioning their morality and face rampant harassment - which at times creeps into their physical spaces too.
In April, Taimur Khan Jhagra, the finance and health minister of KP government, argued with GEO TV’s Benazir Shah online and questioned her capability as a journalist. Several women journalists were attacked online in the lead up to Aurat March on March 8.
In February this year, journalist Gul Bukhari was intimidated with terrorism charges because of her critical view of state policies. She is also often abused and harassed on social media for her opinions. Khyberpahstunkhwa based journalist Shaista Hakim faced gender discrmination. She was denied membership by the Swat Press Club and the Swat Electronic Media Association.
Earlier this year in February, we released a timeline documenting threats against Pakistani women journalists. The timeline highlights journalists and the type of threats they have faced for doing their job. These threats range from intimidation, expulsion, trolling, doxing, phishing, hacking, physical assault, and break-ins among others.
CFWIJ’s founding director and journalist Kiran Nazish herself was targeted with physical death threats and cyber attacks. Our member Marvi Sirmed is regularly attacked by trolls and abusers online for her opinions and journalism. This year too, she was targeted in an orchestrated campaign and was also verbally harassed on live television by a local writer, whose behaviour was widely condemned.
During a time when social media is an inevitable part of a journalist’s personal and professional life, such attacks are a reflection of limiting women journalists’ use of technology. Not only that, these attempts to threaten women journalists also paint a grim picture of the state of press freedom and censorship in the country, as journalists who speak truth to power are often maligned through conservative elements and their right-wing narrative in the country.
In 2019, CFWIJ’s delegation - including Pakistani women journalists - met with the country’s Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari to raise and discuss this issue in detail. During the meeting, she assured to take steps against those involved in the vile act of online harassment. We did see some improvements in the problem for a while but this year the trolling is back. We urge her to take action against the online attacks that women journalists continue to face.
CFWIJ extends solidarity and support to all the women journalists in Pakistan, who continue to do their jobs despite the threats. We demand that Pakistani authorities take action against those who have been involved in this malicious campaign. We urge them to bolster the demands highlighted in the statement below:
Joint statement: Attacks on women in media in Pakistan
Vicious attacks through social media are being directed at women journalists and commentators in Pakistan, making it incredibly difficult for us to carry out our professional duties.
The target of these attacks are women with differing viewpoints and those whose reports have been critical of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s government, and more specifically its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The online attacks are instigated by government officials and then amplified by a large number of Twitter accounts, which declare their affiliation to the ruling party.
In what is certainly a well-defined and coordinated campaign, personal details of women journalists and analysts have been made public. To further discredit, frighten and intimidate us, we are referred to as peddlers of “fake news”, “enemy of the people” and accused of taking bribes (often termed as "paid" journalists or lifafas).
In some instances, our pictures and videos have also been morphed.
Women in the media are not only targeted for their work, but also their gender. Our social media timelines are then barraged with gender-based slurs, threats of sexual and physical violence. These have the potential to incite violence and lead to hate crimes, putting our physical safety at risk.
Lately, there have also been attempts to hack into the social media accounts of reporters and analysts, as well as limit our access to information. In some cases, journalists have been locked out of their social media accounts as a result of hacking attempts.
Women in the media, especially those on social media platforms, are finding it increasingly difficult to remain on these platforms and engage freely. Many now self-censor, refrain from sharing information, giving their opinion or actively engaging online.
These sustained attacks undermine public trust in journalism and go against the basic tenets of democracy. It is a public right to access accurate and reliable information, especially during a public health emergency.
We are being prevented from exercising our right to free speech and participate in public discourse. When we self-censor, others are prevented from receiving information to form their views, which is a violation of their rights under Article 19-A.
When attacks and threats are made against us, we do not enjoy the protection of the law as guaranteed under Article 4, and this is the direct result of the actions of those who hold positions in government and are affiliated with the PTI.
Last July, Shireen Mazari, the minister for human rights, promised to take notice of threats against journalists and to address the climate of abuse, bullying, fear and censorship. Ms. Mazari, we are waiting.
We demand that the government:
1) Immediately restrain its members from repeatedly targeting women in the media
2) Send out a clear message to all party members, supporters and followers, to desist from launching these attacks, whether directly or indirectly
3) Hold all such individuals within the government accountable and take action against them
We also call upon the Standing Committees on Human Rights of the upper and lower house of parliament to take notice and hold the government accountable by ensuring they acknowledge, apologize and list the actions they will now take to put an end to such a threatening environment.
Signed by:
Mehmal Sarfraz
Benazir Shah
Amber Shamsi
Zebunnisa Burki
Ramsha Jahangir
Asma Shirazi
Ayesha Bakhsh
Gharidah Farooqi
Aleena Farooq Sheikh
Alia Chughtai
Reema Omer
Nazrana Yousafzai
Tanzeela Mazhar
Munizae Jahangir
Farhat Javed
Nasim Zehra
Aima Khosa
Mehreen Zahra-Malik
Farieha Aziz
Coalition For Women in Journalism
Kamila Hyat
Rabia Mehmood
Reem Khurshid
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman
Marium Chaudhry
Nosheen Abbas
The International Coalition for Women in Journalism
Ailia Zehra
Najia Ashar
Sadaf Khan
R Umaima Ahmed
Umber Khairi
Muna Khan
Kiran Nazish
Afia Salam
Lubna Jerar Naqvi
Maheen Usmani
Sana Bucha
Ailia Zahra
Naziha Syed Ali
Rehana Hakim
Aysha Raja
Nida Kirmani
Sarah Atiq
Fauzia Yazdani
Sameen Mohsin
Aisha Sarwari
Meera Ghani
Nighat Dad
Farahnaz Ispahani
Saba Ismail
Gulalai Ismail
Afshan Masab
Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights
Women’s Action Forum, Lahore
Women’s Action Forum, Karachi
Iqra Haris
Maheen Pracha
Zohra Yusuf
Tasneem Ahmar
Nadia Malik
Laiba Zainab
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
Sairah Irshad Khan
Neelam Aslam
Sara Malkani
Seemal Hashmi
Sara Ilyas
Aimen Siddiqui
Beena Sarwar
Saba Gul
Fatima Zaidi
Women Lawyers Association (WLA)
Sadia Kamal
Shazia Nayyar
Sabahat Khan
Afshan Qureshi
Naila Naeem
Aneela Shaheen
Aneela Ashraf
Nargis Janjua
Farha Naz
Shamim Ashraf
Shazia Tahir
Ayesha Naz
Aqsa Junejo
Shaista Yousuf
Khadeeja Siddiqui
Farwa Waheed
Ramish Fatima
Aleena Alavi
Batul Rajpoot
Maham Ali
Women Democratic Front
Rubina Saigol
Nasreen Siddiqi
Zunaira Saqib
Moneeza Ahmed
Zofeen Ebrahim
Zaryab Rajpoot
Anis Haroon
Wajiha Hyder
Women's Action Forum - Islamabad
Beenish Javed
Tahira Abdullah
Gulmeenay Sethi
Ayesha Khan
Aurat March Lahore
Tania Saeed
Angbeen Mirza
Sadaf Aziz
Women Democratic Front
Saba Hamid
Khawar Mumtaz
Tooba Syed
Zoya rehman
Khushbakht Sohai
Xenia Mehsud
Laila Raza
Kainat Mujahid
Areej Hussain
Anam Rathore
Marha Fathma
Shajea Sultan
Tanveer Jehan
Nighat Said Khan
Memoona Rauf
Maria Rashid
Nasrene Shah
Kausar S Khan
Women’s Action Forum, Hyderabad
Aiman Rizvi
Haniya Mansoor
Aabida Ali
Ilma Zuberi
Zainab Husain
Baresham Ali Khan
Sana Naqvi
Sheema Kermani
Tehrik-e-Niswan
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.
