Misogyny is an old social problem which has been around forever. It just keeps manifesting itself in different ways according to the social, cultural, and religious environment. Most people are aware of it but don’t think it is very important to make any efforts to try to eliminate it from society, even though it affects a large portion of the world’s population. In recent years, the internet has allowed misogyny to expand exponentially.

Laws have been made to protect women from misogyny, gender discrimination, and hate, but many of these are unable to enact real change. One reason could be that there are too many loopholes or that they are not implemented, allowing more people to fall victim.

With technological advances and the introduction of social media, things have not improved. On the contrary, things are worse as online platforms help to amplify and expand the reach of negative and hateful content. At the same time, the online content being uploaded helps new misogyny to be created.

Online misogyny and hate are a form of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) that has helped strengthen offline gender-based violence (GBV). Countries like Pakistan also have a serious issue of misogyny; online misogyny has reared its head. Fortunately, in Pakistan where there is a serious issue of both offline and online misogyny, women are pushing back.

Recently, two cases of online misogyny in Pakistan were in the news. A couple of video clips went viral, in which three men targeted women, especially women in the media, using abusive and defamatory language.

The first video clip is from a talk show called “Mukalma” (which literally means dialogue and conversation), which originally aired on a local channel and was later uploaded to YouTube. The video clip showed two male guests engaging with women in the audience using abusive and misogynist language during a talk show. The clip of this incident garnered 1,600,000 views and more than 1,000 comments within the first week of uploading.

The two guests were Khalil ur Rahman, a dramatist known for his controversial and derogatory statements about women, and Sahil Adeem, a self-proclaimed religious scholar and motivational speaker who recently gained fame on social media.

The second clip is from a podcast hosted by Zohaib Saleem Butt, in which his guest Dr. Omer Adil used derogatory and abusive language while speaking about women in the media. In this incident, Adil made disparaging remarks against women in media, claiming that every woman who moves ahead in her career is a “s***” and that any woman succeeding in her career is “supported by someone powerful”.

Predictably, these clips were received by an enraged audience, who demanded public apologies. Following this, the offensive clip was removed from YouTube but has been shared in WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms, as host Zohaib explained after he realised it was defamatory. The clip was removed after Zohaib and his guest faced severe pressure from different quarters.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, both clips went viral despite the derogatory and abusive language, and women in media were the focus of the abuse, especially anchor person Gharidah Farooqi. 

Who are these men?

All these men are known for stirring controversies, especially against women, in the past. A couple of years ago, Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar shot to fame after a derogatory and misogynist phrase that he wrote in one of his TV plays caused outrage. He was severely criticised, especially by activists and journalists, but that did not stop him from continuing to spread his misogynist chauvinism in his interviews and his writing.

And just weeks after the talk show issue, Khalil-ur-Rehman hit the headlines once again this time allegedly falling victim to a honey trap. Rehman claims he had gone to meet a potential producer who had said she wanted to produce a TV play written by him. The meeting was scheduled early in the morning before dawn where the playwright was assaulted and tortured and ‘kidnapped’. He was forced into his car and driven around Lahore for a few hours only to be ditched. Since his return several people, including the mastermind, involved in the honey trap case have been arrested.

Sahil Adeem, a self-proclaimed moralist and scholar, has been making waves recently with his misplaced bravado. Adeem’s online bio claims he is the CEO of Source Code and a behavioural psychologist, a public speaker, consultant, YouTuber and preacher.  

Both Qamar and Adeem were guests on a talk show on a local channel.

Dr. Omer Adil, an orthopaedic surgeon and part-time film critic, claims to have expertise in many other creative fields. He hosted a show on the Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), a state-owned television channel, and has appeared as a guest across different shows and networks.

Adil said these women are untouchable and pampered, especially targeting Gharidah  Farooqi. Not only did the host, Zohaib Saleem Butt, seem excited by what his guest was saying, but egged him on by complimenting, encouraging, and supporting him. The host, Zohaib Saleem Butt, did, not only seem excited by what his guest was saying but egged him on by complimenting, encouraging, and supporting him. Zohaib himself is a former anchor person and is now a podcaster.

Women in the media

Commenting on women in the media, Umaima, Global Voices, said, “I’ve been working in this industry [media] for the past ten years and seen a systematic change against female journalists. Social media has played a very big role in this. It is not like there were no attacks against women – journalists and activists – before social media. But for the last 15-20 years, we have seen this change, especially after online spaces came into existence. The attacks grew as women took over more and more online space and began joining media houses – although we lack the proper data that can tell us how many women work in the media across the board – yet there is low acceptability for them in the industry.”

She added that despite some media organisations that try to make efforts to become more women-friendly, misogyny and sexism still exists. Women are not allowed to progress due to professional insecurity and fear, as some men believe women will use their looks to get ahead and endanger the livelihood of men who can lose their jobs.

Sheher Bano, Vice President of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), said, “If a woman is hired for her looks, this will only be temporary; she is retained because of her work because no one can sustain anyone just on looks. Giving sweeping statements against a group of humans, in this case, women, only shows their insecurity about the skills of women. They fear women will outshine them in the field, which leads to misogynist remarks. We see this a lot in the media where women beat them in proving them in traditionally male beats and in other positions. Discrimination against anyone is not right.”

Shabina Faraz, an environment journalist, said that the reasons behind online attacks can vary. For the past twenty years, Shabina has been reporting on the environment, covering environmental issues and climate change, and she didn’t think her work could provoke anyone to the extent that they would attack her online for her work. Shabina is not a timid person, she has always stood her ground and engaged with her attackers.

Two years ago, Shabina was attacked online when she covered a journalist's murder related to halting the hunting of the critically endangered houbara bustard, “I received messages from unknown numbers warning me not to pursue the story or face severe consequences. Many political influencers were involved in that murder.”

Recently she was attacked for a story she did for BBC Urdu on urban forests and Karachi's heatwave. “I was trolled on social media and accused of bias, racism, and discrimination, with claims that I only support people who speak my language [Urdu],” she said, adding that this was not the first time she has been attacked online.

Women took control

Understandably, women in the media were enraged by these men's remarks. Anchor Gharidah Farooqi, who was singled out by Adeem, sent legal notices claiming defamation against him and Zohaib. The latter has since issued a public apology via video message, claiming that he had not only realised the severity of the words, and taken them down earlier, but also issued an apology.

However, the clip had already been downloaded many times and shared widely before damage control could be done, causing much anger in the media community. More than 60 women journalists and media practitioners condemned the sexist remarks in the clip, signing a statement issued by the Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWJDR).

Many women journalists spoke to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), expressing their feelings about misogyny, especially in the media.

Commenting on the issue, Dr. Rabia Noor, a digital producer for ARY News and an assistant professor at The University of Lahore, said, “It is deeply concerning that figures like Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, Sahil Adeem, and others, who hold significant influence as writers, motivational speakers, and media personalities, continue to perpetuate misogyny. To remain in the public eye and garner attention, they habitually demean women with offensive language and derogatory remarks.”

Noor said these individuals shape public opinion, and it is disheartening that there is an audience that not only tolerates but also supports such toxic narratives. This reflects a distressing and pervasive problem within society.

Social media helps catapult the effects of online misogyny and manages to do more damage to professionals who are targeted.

Power of TFGBV

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is “An act of violence perpetrated by one or more individuals that is committed, assisted, aggravated and amplified in part or fully by the use of information and communication technologies or digital media, against a person on the basis of their gender.”

Karachi-based journalist Sarah B. Haider said, “Targeting women, especially female journalists, through vile social media campaigns and hateful rhetoric has lately become the norm in Pakistan. Prominent figures from the showbiz industry, vloggers, some so-called “journalists”, and even politicians have been involved in propagating rampant misogyny against women working in the media industry through derogatory comments, with little action taken against them. This is unacceptable and the government must take immediate steps to address this issue so that women journalists and media professionals can do their job without the fear of harassment and intimidation.”

Fauzia Yazdani, a freelance journalist, said, “Social media is a newfound voice for the marginalised and vulnerable. However, the space has been also captured by misogynists. It’s reflective of a regressive mindset that is against women's rights, gender equality and empowerment. It’s all about views that get monetised. Such controversial views s***-shames working women especially in the media. It also disincentivises women who wish to pursue employment as it generates insecurity among families for fear of social backlash. I categorise them as technology facilitated violence and honour crimes.”

In the past, many women facing harassment, violence, or intimidation have been forced away from social media platforms in Pakistan. Still, authorities have not done much to deter TFGBV. A debate is going on regarding the recently passed Defamation Bill in Pakistan and how it protects survivors of online violence. 

Steps media organisations and unions should take

The media should begin by addressing misogyny in society and media, and consciously create content that highlights the effects it has on a large portion of the population. Women working in the media should put pressure on media organisations and unions to work towards bringing more women into decision-making roles.

With the number of women rising in the media, greater efforts to eliminate misogyny and gender discrimination need to start now.

Maria Memon, a journalist and anchor person said, “I don't think any media outlets are systematically addressing misogyny; it is deeply rooted in society. Apart from the misogyny of men, the misogyny of women is also common; this is because these people have been socially conditioned to protect patriarchal people, including women, who are in important positions. So, I don’t see that this issue is being addressed by media outlets.”

Memon said that more women should be hired in newsrooms if produced content is to highlight the perspectives of women in Pakistan. “More women will help check misogyny in newsrooms and before it makes it to the screen. Women should be part of the process; they should be part of organizations from the structural level to the top - women in important- decision-making roles – this will make a lot of difference, and there will be a trickle-down effect.”

Memon spoke about the basic problems of men controlling everything by writing their own stories, headlines, and reporting. “This happens because the hiring is disproportionate, and the percentage of men is higher. If organisations have a gender-balanced newsroom, things will slowly improve.”

Sheher Bano said men’s insecurities are heightened when faced with a successful woman, and their anger and incompetency fuel misogyny.

All women journalists and media workers want to see positive changes in their profession, making it safer and more comfortable for them to perform their professional duties, whether online or offline.

Lubna Jerar Naqvi is a freelance journalist and the Pakistan Gender Coordinator for the IFJ Asia Pacific.