Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an emerging and deeply concerning dimension of gender-based violence in Pakistan. While GBV has long been recognised as a societal problem, the rise of digital technologies has created new spaces in which women, girls, and gender minorities experience harassment, coercion, exploitation, and abuse. Social media, messaging platforms, AI-driven tools, and online forums have become conduits for violence that often leave survivors vulnerable, socially isolated, and traumatised.

Despite the pervasiveness of the issue, Pakistan currently lacks comprehensive data on TFGBV, which makes the formulation of evidence-based policies and interventions extremely challenging. The absence of robust data represents a critical barrier to understanding and addressing TFGBV. Without accurate figures on prevalence, patterns, perpetrators, and affected communities, it is difficult to design interventions that are targeted, effective, and contextually relevant. Recognising this gap, UNFPA has taken the lead in Pakistan in generating evidence on TFGBV, working closely with service providers, the criminal justice system, and community-based organisations. By producing evidence, UNFPA aims to inform policies and programs that can both prevent and respond to TFGBV, ensuring that interventions are guided by data rather than assumptions. Globally, UN agencies have developed an essential services package for survivors of GBV, drawing from evidence across UN member states. This package outlines survivor-centred support across four essential categories, emphasising the rights of survivors and the need for holistic care. In Pakistan, these principles are being adapted to the local context to create standards for responding to TFGBV, particularly in situations where survivors face systemic vulnerabilities and societal stigma.

One of the key insights emerging from global and local discussions on TFGBV is that male engagement is fundamental to reducing technology-facilitated violence. Men and boys are often either perpetrators or enablers of harmful behaviours online. Engaging them through awareness campaigns, sensitisation programs, and educational initiatives is critical to........

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