Gendered Victimization and Institutional Response to Cybercrime: Evidence from Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

Research into cybercrime in Pakistan notes that women are less likely than men to report cybercrimes to authorities and organisations, but does not explain why women’s reporting remains low even when they do come forward. In this paper, we examine the importance of gender in a larger qualitative study conducted on cybercrime in Faisalabad, in Punjab, through a gendered lens looking specifically at girls’ and women’s experiences of cybercrime. Our findings based on semi-structured interviews with 28 participants (victims of crime, FIA officers, lawyers and civil-society workers) and analysis of case files suggest three key issues contributing to the disadvantage women experience. Specifically, gender creates unjust conditions for women in the context of cybercrime in three interrelated areas: 1) women have far less freedom of movement compared to men, and thus use private platforms where predators operate; 2) family reactions to female victimisation are primarily aimed at hiding the fact of victimisation instead of seeking justice; and 3) complaints regarding problems related to cybercrime are dealt with by the male-dominated cybercrime department which does not adequately respond to complaints.We understand these findings in accordance with Routine Activity Theory’s concept of guardianship, Braithwaite’s categorization of reintegrative shame and stigmatising shame, and Lonsway and Archambault’s ‘justice gap’ approach. We argue that gendered victimisation is produced and sustained in Faisalabad through the interplay of family, community and state institutions, rather than by any one of the institutions alone.