Peshawar, (TW News) __ Under the European Union (EU) funded ‘Deliver Justice Project’, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnered with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Bar Council (KPBC) and KP Judicial Academy (KPJA) to organize the province’s fifth annual Women Lawyers Conference in Peshawar.

The conference brought together over 200 women lawyers from across KP, including merged districts, against the increasing threat of tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) in Pakistan – this year’s theme for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. TFGBV is gender-based violence that is perpetrated through phones, social media, or other digital spaces.

Justice S.M. Attique Shah, the Honorable Chief Justice, Peshawar High Court (PHC), graced the flagship Conference to reaffirm the PHC’s commitment to developing the capacity of women lawyers to address rising threats like the TFGBV. “Empowering women in law isn’t just about adding diversity – it’s about making justice stronger. When women lawyers take the lead, argue cases, and defend the law, our courts become more empathetic, our laws fairer, and our society more just,” he commented.

The Conference engaged women lawyers in meaningful conversations about the impact and prevalence of online harms and resulting offline violence that affect both those delivering justice and those seeking it. An orientation session was delivered by a TFGBV expert, Ms. Valerie Khan which segued into an panel discussion moderated by Ms. Shahzada Ahmad, Programme Manager, Rule of Law Programme, UNDP Pakistan, with representation from Ms. Rubab Mehdi, Honourable Provincial Ombudsperson, KP, the Provincial Omudsperson Office, Advocate Sardar Qadeer, a prosecutor for high-profile TFGBV cases, Ms. Bubbli Malik, a transgender person and human rights activist, and Mehwish Mohib, an advocate fighting on behalf of women and girls in KP.

Ms. Umme Laila Azhar, Chairperson, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), delivered the keynote address, emphasizing that, “Women lawyers are not only defenders of justice, they are the architects of change. Their voices strengthen the legal system, their courage challenges barriers, and their leadership ensures that equality is not just a principle written in law, but a reality lived by all.” The NCSW has also partnered with UNDP for a diagnostic research on TFGBV to ensure safer online spaces for women, girls, and marginalized populations.

The Conference concluded with a set of recommendations by women lawyers to address workplace harassment fueled through technology, improving access to justice mechanisms for TFGBV survivors and ensuring safer public and digital spaces for women and other marginalized communities in Pakistan.

In her remarks, Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan, highlighted, “This year’s EU-funded conference tackles a timely and urgent theme — women practicing law in the digital era and the age of AI. The voices of women lawyers bring hope to survivors who still await a justice system that truly protects them. Together, we can ensure that technology, social media, and AI become tools of empowerment, not exclusion.”

She also appreciated the KPBC and the KPJA for their commitment to empowering women in law and thanked the EU for its continued partnership in making justice more people-centered, inclusive, and accessible.