A heinous incident in Quetta, where a group of men have been arrested for the blackmail, sexual assault and blackmail of three teenage girls, has shed light upon the rise in cybercrimes against women. According to Quaidabad DSP Asim Shah, the suspects, identified as Hidayatullah Khilji and Khalil Khilji, were caught during a raid in Mariabad, in the inner eastern suburb of Quetta. The police seized laptops, memory cards, tablets, and mobile phones from their possession. Video evidence collected from the electronic devices has shown that the accused used to harass, torture, and blackmail many women in similar incidents.

These incidents, while horrific, are unfortunately becoming increasingly common. It is tragic that as technology becomes more accessible, criminals have started inculcating cyber methods to harass and assault women. Computers, social media and photographs have led to a visible increase in blackmailing and sexual assault of women and men both.

The Kasur incident and the several reported cases, involving blackmailing and assault, shows that this has become a systematic problem of gender-based violence. It is time that the government recognize this heinous epidemic and work towards curbing it and raising awareness to dispel the stigma for victims. Anyone can become a victim—there have been incidents of helpless children being abducted and filmed to be blackmailed, wives being blackmailed by former husbands, teenagers being assaulted by strangers.

The government has promulgated a law that specifically targets gender-based cybercrimes. The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, passed in 2016, has shed light upon the prevalence of such crimes. However, the conviction rate remains abysmally low. The government needs to now build upon the law to provide a more conducive environment for reporting such crimes, bring about faster convictions and make stricter penalties.