- Female Ambassadors in Islamabad spearhead a call for safer digital spaces, declaring #NoExcuse for the abuse silencing women and girls.
(ISLAMABAD) – In a powerful display of international solidarity, the female Ambassadors stationed in Islamabad today marked the commencement of the global “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.” This year, the coalition is turning its focus to one of the most pervasive and rapidly growing threats of the digital age: the online abuse of women and girls.
The campaign, which runs from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day), aims to galvanize action and awareness around all forms of gender-based violence. The diplomatic corps has zeroed in on the digital sphere, declaring a firm #NoExcuse for the harassment, threats, and hate speech that have become a grim reality for countless women and girls online.
“The internet should be a realm of opportunity—a place for education, entrepreneurship, and free expression. Yet, for too many women and girls, it has become a landscape of fear,” stated a joint communiqué from the ambassadors. “Online abuse is not a minor inconvenience; it is a formidable barrier to equality and a direct violation of fundamental human rights. It silences voices, drives women from public discourse, and inflicts profound psychological harm.”
The statistics are alarming. Globally, one in three women has experienced online violence, a figure that rises sharply for those in the public eye, including journalists, activists, and politicians. This digital violence is not confined to the virtual world; it often spills over into physical threats and is designed to intimidate women out of participating in social, economic, and political life.
The ambassadors emphasized that the right to safety is indivisible. “We must continue to protect the right of every woman and girl to speak, participate, and be safe—a right that holds as true in the digital town square as it does in the physical one,” the statement read. “Our collective vision is for digital spaces where women and girls can participate freely, safely, and without fear.”
As the 16 Days of Activism begin, the message from Islamabad is clear and united: The digital world is a part of our real world, and the rules of civility, safety, and justice must apply. There can be #NoExcuse for online abuse. The time for concerted action to reclaim the internet as a force for empowerment, not endangerment, is now.
BY: Nadeem Faisal Baiga
