The report shows a worrying increase in online harassment of transgender people.
There was a recorded increase in financial fraud instances in 2022 as well.
According to the Cyber Harassment Helpline report published by the Digital Rights Foundation in 2022, there was an increase in online hate speech directed at the transgender population that year.
According to the report, an online hate campaign was launched not only against the activist, but also against the transgender community as a whole after she was removed from the panel of speakers at the TEDx conference scheduled to take place at the International School Lahore in August 2022.
It went on to say that from August 2022 to November 2022, the helpline saw a sharp increase in online attacks and hate speech targeting the transgender population as a result of the development.
“The Helpline team was in touch with representatives of various social media platforms to help explain the context of the campaign and request more immediate action, and while they displayed a willingness to listen, the steps taken to resolve the matter were not satisfactory and resulted in harmful content remaining on the platforms,” the report said.
In addition, there was a reported increase in the incidence of financial fraud in 2022.
According to the report, “there is no fixed pattern as to the people victimised by these scam attempts,” although the number of reports to the Helpline has increased since February.
There were a total of 2,695 new complaints reported to the Cyber Harassment Helpline, most of which were submitted via phone, DRF’s social media, and the Helpdesk email.
According to the study, the primary hotline continued to be the most popular method of contact, with 2,307 calls.
The report also noted that Punjab accounted for the largest share of callers, and that the hotline inquires as to the caller’s city and region to tailor its recommendations.
The report goes on to say, “We received complaints from people living in Kashmir as well,” adding that “since the region does not come under the FIA’s jurisdiction, there is limited legal recourse in these cases.”
“blackmail, hacking, threats, and unsolicited contact feature” as some of the most common issues reported by both men and women to the Helpline, the research added.
