New Delhi, December 3, 2025: The Sarojini Naidu Centre for Women’s Studies (SNCWS), Jamia Millia Islamia, hosted an Extension Lecture on “Gender-Based Violence in the Digital Age” on November 29, 2025, as part of the global 16 Days of Activism campaign marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. The event, organised in collaboration with the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS) and 16 partner universities across India, was coordinated by Dr. Amina Hussain.
In her welcome address, Prof. Nishat Zaidi, Director, SNCWS, highlighted the urgency of understanding how digital spaces have transformed experiences of harm, safety, justice, and visibility. She reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to exploring emerging forms of gendered violence and the need for academic and institutional engagement with rapidly evolving technological landscapes.
The panel discussion, moderated by Chaitali Pant, PhD scholar at SNCWS, contextualized the issue within feminist discourses and the lived digital realities of vulnerable communities. She emphasised that violence today extends beyond physical spaces into online platforms, where algorithmic bias, deepfakes, online harassment, and data exploitation reinforce existing caste, class, gender, and labour hierarchies.
The panel featured Pallavi Mahajan, Consultant at Whiteshield, UAE, and Advocate Ayesha Jamal, practicing lawyer at the Supreme Court and various High Courts of India. The speakers examined how global digital transformations intersect with legal and social challenges, raising critical questions about inclusion, agency, and safety in AI-driven environments. They discussed platform-enabled harms, gaps in accountability, the importance of survivor-centric safety designs, and the growing role of collective action in promoting rights-based technology ecosystems.
Other key themes included the limitations of current legal responses, challenges of handling digital evidence, policing practices, the cultural impact of memes and humour, mental health concerns, and the urgent need for accessible legal redress and digital literacy. The dialogue also stressed the importance of gender-aware AI systems, robust policy frameworks, preventive safety measures, and community-based support networks.
The session concluded with an engaging audience interaction and a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Amina Hussain. The event collectively reaffirmed that tackling gender-based violence in digital spaces requires coordinated efforts across law, policy, technology, and community initiatives to ensure safer and more inclusive online environments.
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