ISLAMABAD: UKS Research Centre will observe 16 days of activism against gender-based violence following the global theme for 2025 ‘UNITE to End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls’.
It will release two resources on online harassment: one is a report on online violence against women and the second is a compendium of abusive Urdu and Punjabi terms that are used online. Both are part of Uks’ 2023–2024 initiative Safe Word, Safer Word, which was done in collaboration with the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC).
It is worth mentioning that every year, from November 25 to December 10, days are observed to end violence against women and girls everywhere.
Alongside the publications, Uks has launched a 16-video campaign featuring prominent people from media, show business, academia, civil society, and other walks of life. It brings together diverse viewpoints on why women face disproportionate online harassment and how collective action can create safer digital spaces.
“The compendium documents misogynistic language commonly used online. It includes Roman English spellings, distortions and variations with symbols, and offers media, digital platforms, researchers, and institutions a reference to counter online gender-based violence,” a statement claimed.
Uks will also be launching Pakistan’s GMMP (Global Media Monitoring Project) National Report on December 9, 2025 as part of the global release. GMMP is the world’s largest and longest-running research project on gender representation in news media which has been conducted every five years since 1995. It monitors how women are portrayed in print, broadcast, and online news across more than 100 countries.
Uks has been the official GMMP national coordinator for Pakistan since the first cycle, and is responsible for gathering data, training volunteers, monitoring media content, and reporting on gender portrayal trends in Pakistan’s media landscape.
Multi-channel complaint mechanism
Meanwhile, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has announced the launch of Pakistan’s most advanced Multi-Channel Gender-Based Violence Complaint Management System.
In partnership with PKCERT, and in response to the rapid surge in digital threats, including deepfakes, cyberstalking, extortion, and online harassment, NCSW has also announced the soft launch of its Misinformation and Disinformation Awareness Campaign, along with the Khudi Digital Safety Video Series, designed to equip women and girls with essential online safety skills and digital resilience tools.
Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2025.
