Rising cyber crimes against women: Parl Panel seeks awareness drive, AI monitoring, stronger punishment

New Delhi: Expressing concern at the rising incidents of cyber crimes against women, the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women, on Monday, recommended that the Centre should launch a nationwide programme on cyber safety awareness, improve investigation and have a comprehensive gender-sensitive cyber crime law to curb online harassment.

The Fourth Report of the Committee, namely, Cyber Crimes & Cyber Safety of Women, was laid in Lok Sabha by the Chairperson of the Committee, BJP member D. Purandeswari, which pointed to the lacunae in awareness, implementation, and support systems for victims and called for an integrated response by several ministries and State governments.

The Committee said that the country needs a campaign to teach people, especially women and children, about the hazards of the internet and how to stay safe online. They think the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology should work together to create programs that teach people about safety. These programs should be available in schools, colleges and community centres.

They also think it would be an idea to have a National Cyber Safety Week every year to remind people about online safety. The Committee is worried that it takes a long time to investigate cyber crimes. They think the government should set up labs to help solve these crimes and send special vans to collect evidence. They also think each state should have an expert to help the police with cases involving women.

The Committee is concerned about technologies like artificial intelligence being used to harass women online. They think the government should use tools to find and remove harmful content from the internet.

The Committee recommended that social media platforms should remove harmful content from their sites. The parliamentary panel also thinks that victims of cyber crimes should get help on time. They should have access to counsellors and special centres where they can get support.

As per the standing committee report, the government should consider creating a stringent law that deals specifically with cyber crimes against women. This law should take into account the needs of women and girls who are victims of online harassment. It should also make sure that people who commit these crimes are punished. The Committee believes that this will make the internet a safer place for everyone, women and children.

The government should further consider counselling, training and other forms of support. As per the panel, providing a woman or a girl to recover from the trauma of being a victim of a cybercrime is essential. They should be able to feel safe and be able to use the internet without fear of being harassed or hurt.

It also suggested the creation of regional rehabilitation centres to provide long-term mental health support, digital literacy training and assistance for women whose education or livelihood has been affected due to cyber victimisation.

The Committee further recommended that the government examine the need for a comprehensive and gender-sensitive cybercrime legislation that harmonises existing laws while addressing new-age digital offences, saying such a framework would improve enforcement, boost victim confidence and act as a stronger deterrent against online crimes targeting women.