Despite constitutional guarantees and international commitments, women and gender-diverse communities in Pakistan face a severe human rights crisis driven by institutional failure, rising physical and cyber violence, parallel customary justice systems and the weaponisation of penal laws.
This article covers a European Parliament FEMM Committee hearing on the rise of AI-facilitated gender-based violence, particularly the spread of non-consensual deepfake pornography and “nudifier” applications. Experts, lawmakers, and civil society representatives warned that existing AI and digital platform laws are failing due to weak enforcement and profit-driven platform models. The hearing stressed the urgent need for stronger corporate accountability, EU-wide bans on exploitative AI tools, improved protection for women and children online, and a proactive approach that treats digital safety as a fundamental human rights and public health issue.
Italy has taken an important step in combating gender-based violence by officially recognising femicide as a distinct criminal offence punishable by life imprisonment. Passed on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the law reflects years of activism and marks a turning point in how the country addresses systemic violence against women. GHRD welcomes this milestone and its potential to enhance justice and prevention.
The article “One Standard for Us, Another for Them: Assessing the ECtHR’s Approach to Article 3 Violations in the Context of Asylum and Gender-Based Violence” examines how the European Court of Human Rights interprets protections against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights in asylum cases involving gender-based violence. It argues that the Court’s jurisprudence sometimes reflects inconsistencies in evaluating the risks faced by asylum seekers, particularly women fleeing gender-based harm. The analysis highlights concerns that differing evidentiary standards and judicial reasoning can lead to unequal protection for vulnerable applicants, raising broader questions about fairness, consistency, and the effective safeguarding of human rights within Europe’s asylum framework.
Introduction: The rise of reported cases of violence against women during the pandemic Since the beginning of 2021, following the
