Nighat dad has grown up He grew up in a conservative family in Jhang, Punjab province of Pakistan. The threat of early marriage was looming over his childhood like a cloud. But despite their traditional values, Dad's parents were determined that all of their children receive an education, and they moved the family to Karachi so he could complete his bachelor's degree. “I never really thought I would work, because I was never taught that we could work and be independent,” she says. “We always needed permission to do anything. Is.”
Dad thought that Master's in-laws might delay the inevitable engagement, but soon after completing the course, he learned that his parents had arranged a marriage for him. She didn't mind her new life of housework in a household she describes as “lower-middle class” – that is, until the abuse started. “That's when my legal education reminded me that this was wrong,” she says. “Our laws, our Constitution, everything protects me, so why did I have to go through this? Why was I tolerating this?”
With the support of his family, Dad left her husband and filed for divorce. But after years of domestic violence and abuse and no work experience, she struggled with a lack of self-confidence. “I didn't know that women who are divorced and have children face such difficulties in a society like ours,” she says, when her ex-husband filed a custody case for their 2-month-old child. When she filed, dad wasn't sure how she would pay for the attorney. Then her father reminded her that she was also a lawyer.
Dad used her degree to gain custody of his only child. In the process, she realized how many women in Pakistan had been facing violence and systemic injustice for years. But what troubled him most was the digital divide.
Before her marriage, dad's family never allowed her access to her cell phone, and when she finally got a cell phone, her husband used it as a surveillance device – keeping an eye on what happened. It was about who he called and who was texting him. She had an escape device in her hand, but she could not use it. She says, “Going through it myself made me realize how quickly technology is evolving, and how it's creating virtual spaces for marginalized communities who don't have access to physical ones.” “Encountering those restrictions made me understand how important it is to challenge the social norms and structures surrounding women's access to technology and the Internet, so they can use it as freely as men.”
Dad founded in 2012 Digital Rights FoundationAn NGO that aims to address the digital divide and fight online abuse of women and other gender minorities in Pakistan. She began helping women reach out to the organization, providing advice on digital security and emotional and mental support. In 2016 – the same year Pakistan finally passed Law against online crimes—Dad and his team started a cyber-harassment helpline. Since 2016, it has addressed More than 16,000 complaints From all over the country. “Sometimes, police give our phone number to victims who want reliable help,” she says.