Dr Navneet Kour
An unfortunate number of women are becoming victims of cyber crimes. It is said crimes against women marked a steady rise since 2019 .According to a recent study more women are known to use the Internet to enrich their relationships compared to men. Young women, those 18-24, experience certain severe types of harassment at disproportionately high levels: 26 percent of these young women have been stalked online, and 25% were the target of online sexual harassment.
The growing reach of the Internet and the rapid spread of information through mobile devices has presented new opportunities that could put some women at risk, so it’s important to be mindful of the dangers.Women and children were the most vulnerable parts of society during the pandemic, making them simple targets for cybercriminals whereas men and adults were victims of several cybercrime scams. Eventually most of the women and girls were exposed to these crimes during the pandemic and post pandemic ,particularly housewives and those who use social media.
Many cases were also registered in connection with assault on women with the intention to outrage their modesty. Few cases were reported from shelter homes for women and children and some cases were reported in custody.
Most of the time it’s reported that fake profiles are made using the pictures of women and girls which have invited further abuse and misogyny and many cases go unreported. To counter this we need to spread awareness so that females those who are victimised , abused , harassed and exploited can lodge a complaint which can be taken care of by cyber police to act upon .
Cases related to women-centric cybercrimes such as publishing or transmitting sexually explicit material and blackmailing or morphing/fake profiles were registered. Many cases related to miscarriage, infanticide and foeticide and cases of human trafficking were reported .
J&K Police Cyber Crime-Crime Branch suggested that the majority of cyber stalkers are men and the majority of their victims are women and girls.
The rate of cybercrime against women started to increase at this time since the majority of women were using social media sites and one or more online platforms for academic, professional, and entertainment purposes. Criminals started mentally and emotionally tormenting the victim because they could not physically harm.
While we celebrate International Women’s Day, Girl Child Day , let us keep a few cyber safety points in mind.
Few basic tips
* Don’t share passwords.
* Don’t add people with locked profile in social media who made the account recently and have limited info when you cross check them.
* Don’t leave your webcam connected.
* Don’t share more than necessary.
* Don’t accept any video call which is coming all of a sudden from social media unless you know each other..
* Don’t meet online acquaintances alone. – Do dating only if you are sure.
* Be careful about posting details about your whereabouts and lifestyle.
Stalkers can find ways to reach you with a simple photograph or status update.
Disable geotagging in your camera. Enable it only when required.
* Update all operating systems on you devices.
*Know and understand the privacy policy and terms of service of any service also you use.
Some websites can own, sell, rent or resell your information also to anyone they want.
As NGOs and Social and human rights Activists we also need to spread awareness among the women and girls that the Ministry of Home Affairs had constituted an Expert Group comprising of the official/academicians from NSCS, Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Science and IT experts to study the gaps and challenges, prepare a roadmap for effectively taking of Cyber Crime in the country and give suitable recommendations to take effective measures to prevent crime against women and children and create awareness in the society about these issues.Accordingly, a scheme for Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCWC) has been formulated by the Ministry of Home Affairs.The proposed scheme was examined by NCW.
Some of the inputs put forth by the Commission were as below:
Online Women specific Crime Reporting Unit -Interlink with NCW should be made in such a manner that if a woman wants to make a complaint about cybercrime to NCW, it should be sent to MHA Crime Reporting Unit with acknowledgement to NCW and a copy to the complainant. It will encourage quick disposal of the complaints that too with the assistance of the IT professionals
Monitoring Unit for Cyber Crimes. Monitoring unit should provide monthly reports on the complaints received through NCW .
It should include capacity building of protection officers appointed under Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
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