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NE DELHI: Reflecting connected the crisp summation successful cybercrime against women and children implicit the years, a parliamentary committee has recommended that the govt should initiate structured and time-bound introspection for formulation of a “comprehensive and gender-sensitive cybercrime legislation”.In its study connected "Cyber Crimes and Cyber information of Women" presented successful Parliament connected Monday, the Committee connected the Empowerment of Women besides recommended introducing age-appropriate regulations and calibrated usage limits connected societal media platforms to safeguard children and adolescents from adverse intelligence interaction and safety-by-design standards to guarantee liable integer engagement.It highlighted that NCRB information reflects a astir 239% summation successful cybercrime against women and multi-fold emergence successful cases involving children betwixt 2017 and 2022, which underscores the seriousness of the situation.
A important emergence successful specified crimes during COVID-19 pandemic reflected higher integer dependence. National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) has reported much than 2.48 lakh complaints related to women and children betwixt 2019 and April 2025.The committee chaired by BJP Lok Sabha MP Dr D Purandeswari said that the exponential surge successful complaints recorded connected NCRP indicates increasing consciousness arsenic good arsenic organization action.
However, it besides noted the improvement of under-reporting, driven by fear, stigma and constricted integer literacy, peculiarly among young girls, agrarian women and socio-economically susceptible groups.The study is based connected inputs received from the ministry of location affairs, ministry of electronics and accusation exertion (MeitY), Cyber Peace Foundation, an NGO, cyber experts from CDAC and societal media intermediaries (Google & Meta).The committee highlighted that cyber offences impacting women and children are presently addressed done aggregate statutes, including Information Technology Act, 2000; Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023; POCSO Act, 2012; and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986. “These provisions collectively screen a wide spectrum of offences. However, their dispersed quality often results successful overlapping mandates, interpretational ambiguities, uneven enforcement and procedural delays,” it said.Against this backdrop, it emphasised the request for a broad cybercrime law, complementing and harmonising existing statutes alternatively than abruptly replacing them.The committee besides called for integer platforms, peculiarly societal media, messaging, and hosting services being held to higher accountability standards. In addition, it powerfully recommended that mandatory KYC-based verification beryllium introduced crossed each societal media, dating and gaming platforms to curb the menace of fake profiles, impersonation and anonymous harassment.“Platforms indispensable transportation retired periodic re-verification and support high-risk flags for accounts repeatedly reported for abuse. Strict licensing norms and age-verification protocols indispensable beryllium established for dating and gaming apps, with penalties for platforms that neglect to support women and minors from fraudulent oregon coercive practices,” it recommended.
