Cybercrime against women and children: Government urges law enforcement and child protection IT firms to demand stronger response

New Delhi: Highlighting the growing challenge of cyber crimes against women and children, Home Minister Govind Mohan on Friday urged law enforcement agencies to ensure prompt and coordinated response to such cases while urging information technology (IT) intermediaries to comply with all legal provisions aimed at keeping women and children safe in the digital space. Mohan, who was speaking at the inaugural session of the National Dialogue on Cybercrimes against Women and Children (OCWC) organized by the India Cybercrime Coordination Center (I4C), asked states and union territories to strengthen their institutional capacity and establish strong professional units and dedicated response mechanisms to ensure timely investigation, support to victims and prompt action against perpetrators.The event aims to bring together key stakeholders to discuss strengthening coordination mechanisms to prevent and effectively respond to cybercrime against women and children. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, the government of India remains committed to strengthening institutional mechanisms and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure a safe, secure and dignified digital environment for women and children across the country,” the ministry said in a statement on Friday.Discussions during the dialogue focused on emerging trends and patterns of cybercrime against women and children; strengthening investigative frameworks and digital forensics capabilities; improving victim support and reporting mechanisms; strengthening coordination with digital platforms for timely removal of harmful content; and promoting multi-stakeholder cooperation on prevention, awareness and enforcement.Addressing the meeting, Mohan called on all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the digital ecosystem is safe and secure.The National Dialogue provides a platform for knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices and collective deliberation to develop a coordinated national strategy to address the evolving challenges posed by cybercrime in the digital environment.The inauguration also marks the launch of the Senior Trainer Induction Program on Cyber ​​Crime Against Women and Children in States/Union Territories with the aim of creating a national pool of trained officers to lead capacity building initiatives in their respective States and Union Territories. The program is designed to provide selected officers with the expertise, investigative techniques and best practices needed to address emerging cyber threats against women and children. The officers will further train law enforcement officers at the state and district levels, thereby strengthening the country’s response framework to such crimes.Friday’s national dialogue was attended by senior officials of state and UT law enforcement agencies, representatives of relevant ministries and departments of the Government of India, social media intermediaries, internet service providers, academia, civil society organizations, legal experts and student representatives.