A Socio-Legal Analysis of Cyberbullying and Online Harassment in Pakistan: Evaluating the Efficacy of Legal Protections and Societal Attitudes Toward Victims in the Digital Age

Abstract

The social, political and economic landscape of Pakistan has drastically transformed because of more access to internet and social media. Digital technologies have empowered individuals to communicate, to be activists, to earn money, but they have also been exploited to revenge, humiliate, harass, bully, blackmail, stalk and otherwise abuse people online. This is now a major socio-legal issue, primarily affecting women, children and the marginalized. The government of Pakistan has tried to mitigate these concerns mainly by introducing the PECA 2016, and PPC provisions. But there are also major concerns regarding the effectiveness of legal enforcement, institutional capacity, procedural protection and society’s attitude towards victims. This article critically explores an issue of cyberbullying and online harassment in Pakistan with socio-legal approach. It examines constitutional rights of dignity, privacy, equality and freedom of expression and assesses the effectiveness of PECA, 2016 and the subsequent amendments. The article also asserts that although there is a vast body of law, cyberbullying has not been addressed sufficiently because of non-implementation, technology limitations, social conservatism and institutional inefficiency.