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A new research report by Bytes for All, Pakistan, entitled “Exploring the Grounds of Digital Violence Against Women in Pakistan,” offers undeniable proof of the risks that women run both in respect of their personal safety and their freedom of expression because of the conjunction of digital violence against women. Cases involving TikTok-er Imsha Rehman, Shia ordinary women activists, and women activists Dr Sabiha Baloch and Sindhoo Nawaz Ghanghro represent the illustration of online harassment campaigns not only silencing women but also contributing to the spread of terroristic thought on the internet. Such cases suggest that the weaponization of the internet is exercised via defamatory campaigns that cow women, including women from minority communities.

The report illustrates that women who speak out online, through either media reporting, working as Human Rights Defenders, activists, or other forms of online content creation through speaking out, face online harassment or online abuse meant to silence them. For most women, online abuse does not stop at just being online; it spills into their psychosocial well-being.

The report charts patterns of evident hatred, gender-specific derogation, organized hatred campaigns, religious hatred, blasphemy allegations, unauthorized private images, imitation, and the use of synthetic media by using real-world examples of cases. By using such real-world examples of cases, it is obvious that digital violence is connected with other inequalities linked to patriarchal values from the past centuries. This is because patriarchal practices make the digital spaces unsafe for women.

The recommendations within this report demonstrate how policymakers, law enforcement, the judiciary, technology companies, the media, and civil society organizations need to accept that digital violence is a real issue that needs to be addressed in order to ensure that women and girls feel safe online enough to express their opinions, produce online content, and use technology for their own ends. This is a call-to-action report.

A story to mark the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and Human Rights Day-26 Nov.-10 Dec.-serves as a reminder of one's inalienable right to dignity, equality, and safety.

A Delhi journalist reflects upon the hardships of her colleagues in Afghanistan: notably a lady who received an award given out by India, but the country refused to give her a visa to come and accept it-a recognition and a denial which has cost her dear.

An Afghan woman journalist, who must for reasons of personal safety be unnamed, was this year informed that she had been given an international media award in Delhi for her work to uphold women's rights inside Afghanistan. The journalist - I will refer to her here as "Karishma" - was part of a women-only collective which attempted to keep the world informed, through an online media portal called Zan Times, of what her and other women confronted following the Taliban seizure of power in August 2021.

Zan Times is more than an online newspaper that highlights problems women have to face in order to survive under the misogynist Taliban regime; run by Zahra Nader, now based in Canada, the publication is a lifeline to stifled women to get their voice out into the world beyond Afghanistan, ruled by a group of men who believe women should neither be seen nor heard in public.

Karishma, like thousands of women, had lived for two decades in a Taliban-free Afghanistan since 2001, when the Northern Alliance-a group of Afghan resistance fighters aided by the US and allied forces and supported by India-had thrown the then Taliban regime out of power. This facilitated two decades of awakening for the women of Afghanistan.

I met Karishma online when she, along with several of her colleagues, joined South Asian Women in Media, a collective of leading women media professionals from eight countries across Southasia. We had talked about ways in which SAWM could try to carry Zan Times beyond Afghanistan, so that people could realise the true face of the Taliban.

We nominated Karishma, who lives in Afghanistan, to a media award in India for courage in discharge of professional duties. And to our delight, she won it. When informed of the award, she pulled out her passport, looking forward to a brief reprieve outside Kabul from her faceless life.

Ironically, however, India did not grant a visa to Karishma to attend the receiving of that award in Delhi - notwithstanding several representations made to the Indian government, including senior membership from SAWM.

She felt disappointed and hurt and lashed out at those in India who had nominated her. It seemed so unfair that India could turn down legitimate requests for visas from people like her.

She once told me and a few of my colleagues in India about how, to our great shame, "We do not want charity, we just want a chance."

The organization even tried to deliver the award to her in Afghanistan. But this well-intentioned offer brought her under the most critical scrutiny of the Taliban, compromising her personal safety and getting her family members threatened for receiving recognition abroad for writing the truth about her situation.

I knew this through one frightened mail from her, in which Karishma highlighted how our offers of assistance had made things more difficult for her life and those of the scattered few women who still tried to function as journalists inside Afghanistan.

"On February 5, 2025, an e-mail regarding the award that we were to get reached me. According to what was said in the e-mail, the award was intended to be delivered to me via Mr. J… in Afghanistan.

However, ever since I received your email, I have been personally confronted with some serious challenges. I am under extreme threats from anonymous persons, who seem to know of my past work. The threats became extremely severe and unknown people even came to our house, attempting to arrest us. At present, my husband and I have been living separately at undisclosed locations, far away from our family, just to save ourselves. Really, the situation has become dangerous, and I'm deeply concerned about my safety and that of my loved ones.

I have not heard from Karishma since then. The Taliban has restricted the internet across Afghanistan so that such stories do not filter out.

Meanwhile, astoundingly, even as Karishma was denied a visa, India has just rolled out the red carpet to the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to visit India. In New Delhi, the bilateral talks revolved around trade and strategic regional security issues. One can safely assume that the question of Karishma's security and that of the Taliban's efforts to efface women did not enter the talks. This is in stark contrast to India's earlier policies. New Delhi had actively opposed the earlier Taliban regime, 1996 and 2001, and had tacitly supported Ahmed Shah Masood's Northern Alliance which ousted Taliban 1.0. Today, India's outreach to the current Taliban regime has made things even worse for the women of Afghanistan. These women struggle between a ruling that stifles their existence because of their gender and an international community which seems to have forgotten and doesn't care that they lurk in the shadows. I have not been able to trace Karishma or any of the others in this SAWM Afghanistan group; it's as if they vanished. Even for those few journalists who managed to escape in 2021, there is residual fear and reluctance to talk openly. Bitterness over the fact of having been forced to leave their country; guilt because they left family members behind; anxiety that family members may be punished for any word they utter seen as critical of the regime. After four years at the helm of affairs, Taliban regime 2.0 is in full control of this troubled landlocked country, leaving the international community with little choice but to deal with them. But for Afghanistan's beleaguered women like Karishma, it is important that humanity worldwide retain the focus on their stories.

WCSJ2025 opened earlier this week in Pretoria, South Africa, marking a significant pivot of the profession. Never in its 33-year history has the flagship gathering of the World Conference of Science Journalists taken place on African soil.

The 13th edition of the conference, held at the CSIR International Convention Centre, brought together delegates from across the world. Since the launch in Tokyo in 1992, having run biennially, this one convened under a theme aptly reflecting the urgent political climate: 'Science journalism and social justice – Journalism that builds understanding and resilience'.

The gathering this year was organized by SASJA and the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa, an initiative of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of the country.

And throughout the week, the discussion shifted from the mechanics of reporting to confront inequality, democratic fragility, and eroding trust in empirical evidence.

This has also underlined how deeply the scientific enterprise depends on universities-as a producer of research, training grounds for the future cadre of scientists and journalists, and anchors of public trust in knowledge.

Fourth Estate under pressure

SASJA President Mandi Smallhorne reflected on the tension between wonder at scientific discovery and the grit required to report truthfully on the same:

"Most of us who end up doing this work stay because we love it," she said in her welcome address. "We are awed by the questions science asks and the worlds it opens up."

Still, she cautioned that fascination should not be an anaesthetic against scrutiny. “Science and scientists have their flaws,” she said, placing science journalists squarely in the Fourth Estate.

“It is because we care about science – and value its role – that we dig deep to uncover misconduct or fraud and that we fight false messaging.

This was echoed by South Africa's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Blade Nzimande. Opening the conference, just over a week after South Africa concluded the continent's first G20 presidency, Nzimande emphasised that scientific progress is mute without dissemination.

“You can do good science, but if it is not known, it is as good as dead science,” he said.

He advised delegates not to become "praise singers" for the science but to remain critical guardians of the public interest. "Science has often also been used for destruction. We must remain vigilant to ensure it serves humanity."

At a press conference after his speech, he said that higher education—which he was once in charge of until it broke away from the rest of his portfolio—still remains the backbone of research and innovation in South Africa: “Universities remain at the centre of our knowledge-production system.”

Conference Director Engela Duvenage was clear about the practical pressures facing science journalism. “The challenges we face with misinformation require a global, collaborative response,” she said in a statement, noting conference sessions that featured tools journalists are using to counter falsehoods affecting public health and environmental policies.

Nervous system for the planet

In the impassioned keynote, Advocate Cormac Cullinan, an environmental lawyer and author and winner of the Shackleton Medal 2025, challenged those present to bridge the widening chasm between scientific reality and legal frameworks.

He warned that "the law is lagging dangerously far behind scientific knowledge," adding that whereas science demands an end to fossil fuel reliance, legal systems continue to permit the destruction of the biosphere. He claimed what was needed was a cultural transformation as deep as that which takes place when the caterpillar becomes a butterfly, not incremental adjustments. Cullinan located the source of the crisis in the mechanistic worldview inherited from the Enlightenment, which views the universe as a ‘giant clock’ and reduces nature to objects for human manipulation. He termed this human exceptionalism “eco-apartheid”-a form of separateness whereby one species claims superiority over the entire community of life. 

Set against that was his call for a shift towards ‘Earth jurisprudence’, a legal philosophy that recognises the universe not as a “collection of objects” but as a “communion of subjects”. To illustrate this in action, Cullinan announced the launch of the Antarctic Alliance, a global campaign to recognise the continent as a legal entity. “The question is not ‘how do we manage Antarctica?’ It is: ‘what is our relationship with Antarctica, and how do we repair it?’” he said, suggesting the continent be given standing to represent its own interests in international courts and UN climate processes. Cullinan called for the media to broaden their sense of objectivity. He presented the profession as an active organ of planetary self-protection: “Science journalists are part of Earth’s nervous system – sensing danger, transmitting signals, and helping society respond,” he said. “We are not protecting nature. We are nature protecting herself.”

In a bold digital push, the Karnataka government has instructed all state government schools to open social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X, among others, in order to compete with private schools and reverse the declining enrollments. An order issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy targets the 2026-27 academic year, for which the admission campaign is already underway till June 2026.​​

Headmasters should highlight all the aspects of school facilities, students' achievements, board examination results, student enrolments, and other activities day-to-day through postings, videos, and various success stories of alumni. "Several alumni of government schools have scaled new heights. Posting videos of such old students will help attract more admissions," a senior official told Deccan Herald. Even rural schools in far-flung areas have been covered to utilize the reach of social media to educate parents through teachers and SDMCs.​

Early adopters report success: A Bengaluru school saw 40 per cent more pre-primary inquiries after Instagram posts of renovated labs, while a Haveri high school retained 95 per cent students through Facebook Live sessions. The state will provide training, smartphones and support to bridge the urban-rural digital divide, while restarting summer camps from 2026-27.​

This move bridges the perception gap that, though government schools come with benefits like free uniforms, better teacher ratios, and scholarships, private schools dominate marketing. Having made teachers influencers, the state aspires to a 5-15 percent surge in enrollment, targeting girls and out-of-school children.​

As digital outreach flips traditional recruitment, government schools enter parents' feeds-possibly reshaping education equity in India.​

In academics and beyond, effective communication is a superpower. Whether you are presenting in class, emailing your professor, or working on a group project, how you express yourself creates the stage for your success. However, so many students succumb to common pitfalls that dilute their message or foster misunderstandings.

Here are 7 unconscious communication mistakes students make and how to fix them in order to boost your confidence and clarity.

Speaking without consideration of your audience 

Perhaps the biggest mistake students make is using the same style of communication in every situation with whomever they are speaking. The way you might be chatting with friends on campus is not necessarily how you should speak with professors, your mentors, or potential employers. Using slang or super casual language during formal situations can seem disrespectful or unprofessional. Simultaneously, sounding too stiff in casual settings can make people feel distant.

How to fix it:

Before speaking or writing, ask yourself: Who am I addressing? What tone is appropriate? Match your language, formality and body language to your audience. For example, emails to professors should be polite and clearly stated, while group chats with classmates can be relaxed.

Filler words overuse

Fillers are small words or other sounds that fill pauses while we're thinking. Natural in conversation, they will distract listeners and detract from your credibility if you use them too much in presentations, interviews, or formal discussions. Often, they reflect nervousness or lack of preparation.

How to fix it:

Practice your speaking skills by recording and then playing yourself, or hold mock discussions with your friends. First, become more aware of your habits concerning fillers: Instead of saying "um" or "like", simply stay silently while you pause. This will make you sound more confident and polished.

Being either too passive or too aggressive in groups

Balance in communication plays a very important role in any group project or discussion. While the fear of judgment by peers seems to make some students extremely hesitant to contribute, other students completely go in the other direction and dominate the group conversations, unintentionally shutting others down. Both poles hurt collaboration and learning.

How to fix it:

Practice assertive communication: clearly state your ideas with confidence without dominating others. Actively listen and make room for the more introverted members to share their opinions. Practice empathy to provide an environment where all voices count. Writing emails like text messages. E-mails are still one of the first ways in which you write to professors, admissions officers, or employers. Yet too many e-mail as if they were texting a friend: informal greetings; slang; missing punctuation, or an unclear request. This casualness can get in the way of your establishing your credibility and delay responses. 

How to fix this: 

Treat emails like professional correspondence: use a clear subject line, and include greetings such as "Dear Professor Singh". Always be respectful. Give the purpose of your email in one and two specific sentences. Close appropriately: Thank you or Best regards. Always proof before sending. Not making eye contact and poor body language Non-verbal signals - eye contact, facial expressions, and postures - make up the bulk of communication. Students often don't measure the effect these can have. Not making eye contact can put you across as not interested or distrustful; slouching or fidgeting can show you nervousness or lack of confidence. 

How to fix it:

Keep comfortable eye contact to show engagement and confidence. Sit or stand up straight in order to project energy and openness. Practice in front of a mirror or record yourself in order to become aware of distracting habits. Remember, your body speaks as loudly as your words. Not actively listening Communication is a two-way process. A lot of us listen to reply rather than understand. Hence, so much information is lost, and there is misunderstanding; hence, weakened responses, particularly in lectures, group discussions, or even interviews. 

How to rectify it:

Listen only to the speaker and do ngot interrupt. Verbal and non-verbal cues, such as nodding, summarizing what you have just heard, and asking for an explanation, will show respect for the other person and help retain the information better. Assuming that everyone knows what you are trying to say It is far too easy to forget that your context, experience, and knowledge also determine the way you present information. Use of jargon, abbreviations, or terms in broad overviews may lead to confusion among classmates or instructors not familiar with your context. This may happen when working on projects or delivering a presentation.
 

How to rectify it:

Explain what you are talking about, defining any terms or concepts unlikely to be known to the audience. Do ask if anyone has any questions or if there is anything else you might cover. For written communications, sentences should be simple and laid out so that logical sequences are demonstrated. In oral presentations, use examples or diagrams to explain concepts that may be hard to understand or abstract. Communications skills do not arise naturally; they grow through awareness and practice. Avoiding the errors listed above will improve not just the way you present your ideas, but also how you respond to others. This lays the strong foundation needed for academic success, professional opportunities, and lasting friendships.

When WhatsApp rolled out its new Updates tab, the intention was to create a hub for channels, broadcasts, and status updates. Instead, it has opened an alarming safety gap—one that is now quietly exposing millions of Indian minors to adult-oriented content without their knowledge, consent, or the ability to opt out.

Across India, parents have begun noticing something disturbing: children as young as 12 and 13 are being shown sexually suggestive channels and explicit thumbnails directly within WhatsApp’s default interface. No search. No follow. No age check. These channels appear automatically—recommended purely because they have large subscriber counts or trending engagement.

On a platform where messages are usually private, this sudden, unsolicited visibility of adult content has caught families off guard.

India’s Children Are Already Online — And Vulnerable

The data makes the situation more urgent:

• 76% of Indian children aged 14–16 use smartphones primarily for social media.
  
  
• 60% of kids aged 9–17 spend more than 3 hours online every day.
  
  
• India now has 398 million young social media users, the largest youth digital population in the world.
  
  

For many of these children, WhatsApp is not just a messaging service—it is their digital gateway. Online classes, hobby groups, tuition reminders, family chats, and school announcements all flow through it. In rural India especially, WhatsApp is often a child’s first and only social platform.

That makes WhatsApp’s new default recommendations particularly dangerous.

Unsolicited Exposure Is a Safety Failure

Unlike Instagram or YouTube, where algorithms suggest content based on browsing behaviour, WhatsApp’s new tab pushes adult-oriented channels into a child’s line of sight even without engagement. Thumbnails often feature:

• sexually suggestive imagery,
  
  
• provocative celebrity edits,
  
  
• soft-porn style posters,
  
  
• clickbait visuals designed for mature audiences.
  
  

There is no option for parents to restrict these suggestions. No age filter separating adult channels from general ones. No mechanism for WhatsApp to verify the age of its billions of users. Children don’t have to tap or search — the imagery arrives at eyeball-level as soon as they open the app.

Cyber safety experts call this a “passive exposure risk”—the most dangerous kind because children are shown adult themes without actively seeking them.

Parents Are Left Powerless

A Bengaluru mother described her shock when her 11-year-old opened the Updates tab during a family event. “What I saw was not appropriate even for adults, forget children,” she said. “My son didn’t search for anything. It was just there.”

A teacher from Pune, who runs several student WhatsApp groups, said she now warns children not to tap the Updates tab at all. “How long can you tell a child to avoid a part of the interface?” she asked. “It shouldn’t be there in the first place.”

This Isn’t Just a UX Issue — It’s a Policy Failure

Child rights advocates argue that WhatsApp is violating the basic rule of platform safety: minors should never be automatically shown adult content. Especially not through a platform deeply embedded in school communication.

With India's massive young user base, the platform’s influence is far greater than traditional social networks. If YouTube or Instagram accidentally exposed minors, the fallout would be global. WhatsApp is doing it through a default feature — and the harm is silent, invisible, and unreported.

What Needs to Change Now

Experts say the fixes are clear—and overdue:

1. Age-gated filters
   Platforms must verify user ages and block adult channels from being suggested to minors.
2. Stricter vetting of public channels
   WhatsApp should screen channels that use explicit thumbnails or sexualised imagery, and label adult content clearly.
3. Safer recommendation algorithms
   Content that isn’t child-safe should never appear by default, especially in a messaging app widely used by children.
4. Parental controls
   Parents should have the ability to disable the Updates tab, block channels, or restrict content at the device or account level.

Child Safety Cannot Be Optional

WhatsApp cannot continue treating child safety as an afterthought. India’s children are online earlier, for longer, and on more platforms than any generation before them. When nearly 400 million young users rely on WhatsApp daily, the responsibility is immense.

A platform embedded in school life cannot afford to auto-suggest adult content. And children should never be exposed to explicit imagery simply because an algorithm favours engagement over ethics.

This is not just a product flaw — it is a child protection emergency.