Strategies to Prevent and Control of Cybercrime against Women and Girls

Abstract

The emergence of ICT has provided an unrivalled opportunity for women to exploit their capabilities to improve their quality of life as well as to contribute to the welfare of the society. Internet has also become a social and communication tool with e-mails being an efficient communication tool. Internet offers new possibilities for networking and participative democracy but feminists are failing to challenge the use of the Internet for furthering more dangerous and discriminatory agendas, including Internet crime committed against women and the proliferation of pornography. Many youth are engaging socially through common social network like WhatsApp, Facebook, twitter, msn, my space and are actually addicted to these Internet social activities, making them vulnerable to Internet crimes. The increased dependency of individual / organisations on cyberspace has led to the increase in the cybercrimes. In India we find there is minimal proper training and education regarding such developments and the ignorance towards these advancements has paved way for cybercrimes. Even the authorities and officers who handle such cases have no proper training and the essential expertise for undertaking cybercrimes against women and girls in particular. India should consider adopting a coactive approach wherein technology and proper legislative framework combine to fight the cybercrime in the society. The threatening atmosphere created by such heinous cybercrimes against women and girls need radical change in technology, behaviour and legal affairs; facilitated by proper education and training. This study examines the problems and issues of cybercrime against women and girls in order to exhibit preventive strategies and means to fight back with the support of cohesive forces.