Author(s)
Kajal
- Manuscript ID: 140852
- Volume: 2
- Issue: 7
- Pages: 363–380
Subject Area: Other
Abstract
The rapid growth of digital technology has transformed communication, education, business, and governance across the world. While technological advancements have created numerous opportunities, they have also led to a significant increase in cybercrimes targeting vulnerable sections of society, particularly women. Cybercrime against women includes offences such as cyberstalking, online harassment, identity theft, cyberbullying, revenge pornography, morphing of images, phishing, financial fraud, sextortion, and the non-consensual circulation of intimate images. The anonymity provided by the internet, coupled with the increasing use of social media platforms, has enabled offenders to commit crimes across geographical boundaries with relative ease.
India has witnessed a substantial rise in cyber offences against women in recent years. Although several legislative measures, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and other related laws provide legal protection, challenges remain in terms of investigation, jurisdiction, digital evidence collection, and prosecution. The lack of public awareness, underreporting of offences, and inadequacies in cyber forensic infrastructure further aggravate the problem.
This paper critically examines the legal framework governing cybercrimes against women in India. It analyses the nature and forms of cyber offences, explores the effectiveness of existing laws, discusses significant judicial decisions, compares international legal approaches, and highlights the emerging challenges posed by evolving technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Deepfake technology. The study concludes by recommending legal and policy reforms to strengthen cyber security and ensure better protection of women's rights in the digital era.