Tech Desk 
Nov 01, 2024
During “SafeWords: Combating Sexist Abuse in Urdu and Punjabi”, a national webinar conducted by the Uks Research Centre on Thursday, the consensus recommendation demanded major social media platforms to counter abusive Urdu and Punjabi languages against women.
The participants were of the view that it is high time social media giants realised their utmost moral responsibility and played a vital role in incorporating mechanisms to keep a close watch and dislodge profane language in Urdu and Punjabi used widely against women in India and Pakistan.
Read more: Google Maps rolling out Gemini AI-powered feature to answer questions
Organised to present the outcome of extensive research, compilation, and campaigns executed by the Uks Research Centre to make social media platforms free from online abuse in two of the most used languages in the country.
Abusive language on Facebook, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter)
Speakers at the webinar vehemently suggested that social media services —including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and TikTok— with significant consumer bases in the region ought to filter out anti-women abusive words in Urdu and Punjabi and delete them from the platform.
They demanded that these filters should be enacted in a quick manner like the strict digital safety mechanism deployed by these social media platforms against hate speech.
Recommending swift chargesa of penalties against those involved in such abusive use of Urdu and Punjabi languages, the speakers noted that this would protect the dignity and honour of vulnerable communities across the world.
As the immense of use of foul language in Urdu and Punjabi on social media platforms regularly affected a massive number of women both in Pakistan and India, the attendees assured the provision of real-time digital support from Pakistan-based trained volunteers associated with concerned non-profits and NGOs to assist social media services.
