Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence (TFSV) represents an increasingly pervasive existence of cybercrime that perpetrates sexual offenses against vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. This article delineates the multifaceted nature of TFSV, categorising it as sextortion, cyberstalking, revenge porn, and child pornography, while examining the profound psychological, physical, economic, and legal ramifications confronting victims in contemporary digital society.
The analysis substantiates that TFSV constitutes a transnational criminal phenomenon that inexorably defies geographical boundaries, necessitating comprehensive international cooperation in legislation and implementation. Empirical data from the National Crime Records Bureau reveals alarming statistics, with 14,409 cybersex crimes against women registered in India during 2022, demonstrating the magnitude of this digital scourge. The research explicates the disproportionate impact on vulnerable demographics, particularly middle-class working women and economically disadvantaged children.
The article juxtaposes various international legal approaches, analyzing the EU's harmonization directives vis-à-vis Indonesia's victim assistance framework, while examining India's legislative response through the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and Information Technology Act, 2000. The analysis reveals that whereas statutory provisions exist to address TFSV, enforcement mechanisms remain inadequate, contributing to systematic under-reporting due to societal stigma.
The research posits that effective mitigation requires a holistic, multi-stakeholder approach integrating legal reform, international collaboration, victim-centred support systems, and enhanced technological capabilities for law enforcement. The study concludes that combating TFSV necessitates fundamental paradigmatic shifts in enforcement methodologies, and societal attitudes toward digital sexual violence through coordinated national and international efforts.
