AI-Generated Abuse on the Rise: DRF Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Women and Minors
Sidra Arif
LAHORE– As generative AI evolves from a creative tool into a sophisticated instrument of harassment, the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) is sounding the alarm on the disproportionate impact of AI-fuelled abuse on women and girls in Pakistan.
Speaking at a recent panel hosted by @genderatlums titled *l"Digital Abuse, Deep Fakes, and Gender-Based Violence," DRF Senior Project Manager Hyra Basit
highlighted the "ground realities" captured by the organization’s Digital Security Helpline. Basit noted a disturbing trend: a sharp rise in digital abuse cases involving minors and the systematic targeting of **women in public-facing roles, particularly politicians and journalists.
A Growing Crisis of "Scalable Harm"
Recent data from DRF’s 2025 annual report underscores the severity of the situation. After a 51% surge in 2024 cyber harassment cases involving minors rose by another 28% in 2025. Executive Director Nighat Dad warned that we have entered a phase where AI is "scaling harm at speed," allowing for the rapid creation of non-consensual deepfakes and "nudified" images that are used to blackmail and silence victims.
"The threats posed by AI-generated images can no longer be ignored. Generative AI is an evolving tool of abuse, and women and girls in Pakistan are bearing the brunt.Hyra Basit, Senior Project Manager, DRF.
Key Insights from the Helpline
Targeting Public Figures: AI-generated disinformation and deepfakes are increasingly used to undermine women journalists and politicians, aiming to push them out of the digital and professional sphere.
The Vulnerability of Minors Cases involving children as young as six have been reported, with AI tools being used to manipulate innocent photographs into sexually explicit content.
The Support Gap: Basit emphasized the "critical role of family support," noting that survivors often face secondary trauma when their own social circles react with blame rather than assistance.*Beyond Support: A Multilevel Response
DRF’s strategy to combat this "mutated hydra" of digital violence spans across three critical pillars:
Education & Prevention:Conducting digital safety sessions in schools to equip students and educators with the tools to identify and report AI-generated harms.
Survivor-Centric Aid:Providing technical guidance and legal support to victims through the Digital Security Helpline (0800-39393)
Policy Advocacy:Actively influencing social media platforms to localize their AI moderation systems to better understand the nuances of Pakistani languages and cultural contexts.
As the digital landscape becomes increasingly hostile, DRF remains committed to creating a safer online world, urging policymakers to strengthen data protection laws and treat AI-generated abuse with the same legal gravity as physical violence.
