‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’
Introduction
In the age of virtual reality, where the world seems just a tap away, we now face a growing issue – cyberbullying. This development infiltrates the online domain through harassment and intimidation tactics on various online forums such as social media, instant messages, electronic mails, and other grids. It is more than just an inoffensive internet prank; it is insidious, transcending physical boundaries unlike traditional harassment, and invading victim’s cybernetic space. However, cyberbullying is distinguished by its anonymity, as perpetrators mask identities to intimidate victims with impunity.
The tactics employed by a cyberbully are extensive and perilous, ranging from impersonation and cyber stalking to phishing (disclosing personal credentials by clicking on hostile links), trolling (sarcasm, insults), and outing (revealing personal information non-consensually). These web assaults, whether through abusive and insolent remarks or data leakage, imprint psychological wounds on victims.
Cyberbullying has become a global challenge, with countries like India and Brazil reporting high prevalence. Around 37% of internet users in India and 29% in Brazil have reported being cyberbullied. Pakistan, not exempt, has witnessed a surge in internet penetration and social media use, with 76.38 million online users. The increase in internet consumption has corresponded with a rise in cyberbullying cases. A 2019 study by Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) illustrates that Pakistan has reported 45% of cyberbullying cases. Thus, online intimidation has emerged as a serious peril to online society’s well-being.
Cyberbullying in Pakistan Evolution and Trends
In Asia, Pakistan has one of the largest mobile phone user bases. National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has recently replaced the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as head of internet guidelines in Pakistan, which is governed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Data compiled by these authorities shows contentious measures among internet users, ranging from data breaches, propaganda, and the marginalization of religious and gender minorities. According to the Global Cyber security Index (GCI), released by the International Telecommunication Index in 2020, Pakistan ranks 79th in cyber security, highlighting the country’s engagement in cyber protection among the signatories.
In 2020, FIA’s cybercrime department lodged over 85,000 complaints, primarily concerning investment scams, counterfeit profiles, credential theft, false accusations, bigotry, cyber shakedown, and cyber blackmail. According to the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), over 146 monthly calls have been reported by their cyber harassment helpline, with 57% of the objections raised by women and 30% by men. Punjab constitutes 57% of the documented instances, followed by Sindh with 15%. The most alarming aspect of the DRF’s review is the demographic segment between 21 and 25, with mostly victims in the youth segment. The increase in online stalking cases coincided with the onset of coronavirus pandemic and improvement in digital inclusion. Individuals who experienced internet trolling were therefore 1.9 times more likely to consider suicide.
Almost 90% of Pakistani university students have also reported cyber bullying, with affluent classes being more exposed (Ibid). Moreover, the impact of digital abuse on women’s well-being, especially female journalists, is unsettling. Figures reveal that 9 out of 10 female journalists in Pakistan have been exploited by internet bullying, and 40% of the female demographic has been exposed to it. Child pornography is used as a weapon to intimidate or manipulate juvenile victims escalating their victimization and exploitation.
From 2021 to 2023, through an in-depth analysis of cyberbullying instances in Pakistan, out of 464 documented cases, only 184 were formally recorded. This contained 312 local complaints, 150 via CyberTipline, and 2 from external referrals, signaling potentially rigorous registration requirements or screening mechanisms within the legal protocol. While 225 arrests were conducted from the 184 reported incidents, the below-average conviction rate of only 23 rulings reinforces the significant barriers in procuring satisfactory evidence for effective prosecutions in pornography cases. Furthermore, the acquittal ratio of 31 compared to convictions underline the dilemmas in proving cyberbullying charges and handling online evidence.
From 2021 to 2023, out of a total of 134,669 registered complaints, approximately 80.7% were from males, while approximately 19.3% were from females. Only 4 complaints were reported from transgender individuals. From 2018 to early 2024, female harassment claims under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Act 2016 marked a significant increase, rising from 310 in 2018 and peaked to 11,723 in 2023. However, out of a total of 27,867 complaints during this period, only 1,717 cases were registered, indicating a low registration rate of approximately 6.2%. Similarly, while 1,689 arrests were made, only 67 convictions were secured, reflecting a low conviction rate of roughly 0.24% relative to the total complaints and about 3.9% relative to the registered cases.
The latest data for 2024 depicted a notable decline in all categories, with only 59 cases registered and 48 arrests made from 1,854 complaints, and just 4 convictions. This suggests inconsistent enforcement and underreporting or simply partial year data. District wise, the Islamabad Cyber Crime Reporting Center accumulated 20,527 reports, with 10,449 in 2022 and 10,078 in 2023. In the Hazara division of KP province, the Cyber Crime Reporting Center in Abbottabad received a total of 3,921 cybercrime claims, with 1,997 in 2022 and 1,924 in 2023. The complaint volume, a total of 12,666, was highest in Peshawar. In Punjab, the Cyber Crime Reporting Centers observed major activity particularly in Lahore which had the maximum complaints with a total of 33,729. In Sindh, the Hyderabad division registered the most complaints with a total of 6,205. In Balochistan, Quetta division experienced maximum complaints with 2,854. In Gilgit-Baltistan, the Gilgit division recorded 1,222 complaints, leading in the region. Azad Jammu and Kashmir saw a notable trend, with Mirpur and Muzaffarabad divisions reporting 985 and 681 complaints, respectively. Collectively, there were 249,292 cybercrime cases registered, with 140,595 in 2022 and 108,830 in 2023, highlighting a minor dip in the count of complaints over the two-year period.
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