Online crimes against women & children: Govt urges law enforcement & IT firms for stronger response | India News
New Delhi: Highlighting the growing challenge of online crimes against women and children, Home Secretary Govind Mohan on Friday urged law enforcement agencies to ensure prompt and coordinated response to such cases and urged information technology (IT) intermediaries to comply with all legal provisions to secure the digital space of women and children. Addressing the inaugural session of the National Dialogue on ‘Online Crimes Against Women and Children’ (OCWC) organized by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center (I4C) here, Mohan asked states and union territories to strengthen their institutional capacity and develop strong, specialized units and dedicated response systems for timely investigations, victim assistance and action against perpetrators.The event seeks to bring together key stakeholders to strengthen coordinated measures to prevent and effectively respond to online crime targeting women and children. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, the Government of India is committed to strengthening institutional processes and strengthening 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 addressed emerging trends and patterns of online crime against women and children; strengthening investigative frameworks and digital forensic capabilities; improving victim support and reporting processes; enhancing coordination with digital platforms for timely removal of harmful content; and promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration for prevention, awareness and enforcement.While addressing the gathering, Mohan urged all stakeholders to work collectively to ensure a safe and secure digital ecosystem.The National Dialogue provides a platform for knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices and collective discussions on developing an integrated national strategy to address the challenges posed by online crime in the digital environment.The launch also marked the launch of the Master Trainer Induction Program in States / Union Territories on Online Crime against Women and Children, aimed at creating a national pool of trained officers to lead capacity-building initiatives in their respective States and Union Territories. The program seeks to equip elected officials with the specialized knowledge, investigative techniques and best practices necessary to address emerging cyber threats targeting women and children. These officers will further train law enforcement personnel at the state and district levels, thereby strengthening the country’s response framework against such crimes.Senior officials of state and UT law enforcement agencies, representatives of concerned ministries and departments of the Government of India, social media intermediaries, internet service providers, academia, civil society organizations, legal experts and student representatives participated in Friday’s national dialogue.
