CPWO Research Seminar
Understanding and Addressing Online Harms Against Women and Girls through Research
Online spaces play a huge role in our everyday lives, offering connection, creativity, and community. Yet for many women and girls, these spaces can also bring real risks and harm. These Research Seminars open up a shared conversation about how research can help us understand these experiences and find practical ways to make digital spaces safer and more inclusive. Bringing together researchers, students, practitioners, and members of the wider community, the event is an opportunity to learn from one another, share insights, and explore how we can work collectively to create lasting change.
We are delighted to welcome Rida Tahir to lead this Research Seminar. Further details about the talk, the speaker’s biography, and a link to book a place are provided below.
Utilizing Rehabilitative Justice (RJ) Mechanisms for Addressing Online Violence against Women and Girls (OVAWG)
A significant number of Online Violence against Women and Girls (OVAWG) cases in Pakistan remain underreported within the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Cultural notions of “shame and honour” associated with such offences against women and girls often deter victims from seeking justice, as families fear social stigma and reputational harm. Deep-rooted patriarchal beliefs that link women’s sexuality and behaviour to male honour further silence survivors and limit their decision-making power, including the ability to report offences. To address these challenges, the Pakistani government has established rehabilitative justice mechanisms such as Women and Children Police Stations, Female Help Desks, One-Stop Protection Centres, and Citizens Police Liaison Committees. These initiatives provide confidential, survivor-centred, and culturally sensitive avenues to justice for victims/survivors of online SGBV. Similar structures could be adopted in the UK to support South Asian diaspora communities facing culturally specific barriers to reporting and accessing justice, thereby strengthening inclusive and responsive legal protection mechanisms for all women and girls.
About the Speaker
Rida Tahir is an Advocate of the High Courts of Pakistan, she works with the police in Pakistan to address online violence through rehabilititive justice mechanisms to increase access to justice for the victims/survivors. She is an International Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Protecting Women Online (2025-2026).
