Abstract

Women have often been at the receiving end of violent and heinous crimes throughout the history. When the internet first came into the picture, it was lauded for converting the world into a Global Village and making communication across the globe seamless. However, for women, it created a new threat, called “Cyber Crimes against Women”. The perpetrators of cyber crime often target victims who are soft targets and easier to exploit. The women are often exposed to crimes such as cyber defamation, sexual harassment, and indecent exposure by men on the internet, email misrepresentation and more. They often receive disturbing messages with sexual innuendos over the internet which amounts to harassment. In addition to this, their private information, videos and images have been leaked which leads to shame and harassment. In some cases, it even drives the women to commit suicide. Covid-19 furthered the incidences of Cyber Crimes against women with increased online presence for both the women and the perpetrators of the crime. This paper analyses the Cyber Crimes against Women in India and the legislative framework present in India to deal with the crimes. It further provides suggestions relating to measures that can be undertaken in order to combat Cyber Crimes against women in a more effective manner.

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