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Combating Online Violence Against Women: Legal, Institutional and Technological Perspectives

Technology is acting as a double edged sword in the context of gender based violence. While technology enabled safety apps and helplines to support women to report crimes and seek speedy remedy, technology has opened new forms of violence without a face in the form of AI deepfake pornography, expansion of manosphere, online stalking and harassment etc. These are fuelling gender based violence by perpetuating toxic masculinity and discriminatory social norms and attitudes. The UN report highlights the absence of uniform definitions and methodologies to measure violence against women and girls, coupled with poor reporting of the cases has hampered the efforts to address the issue. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) has defined “technology-facilitated violence against women and technology-facilitated gender-based violence as ,

“any act that is committed, assisted, aggravated, or amplified by the use of information communication technologies or other digital tools, that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual, psychological, social, political, or economic harm, or other infringements of rights and freedoms”

16 Days of Activism

Institutional mechanisms to combat online violence against women and girls (VAWG) have evolved steadily since the early 2000s. The first cyber police station was established in Bengaluru in 2001, followed by the creation of the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in 2004. Further strengthening the cyber governance framework, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) was launched in 2020, along with the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP) under its ambit to enable easier reporting and coordination on cybercrime cases.  States like Kerala have developed innovative models such Cyber Dome, a public-private partnership initiative for combating cyber crimes through collaboration with ethical hackers and cyber security professionals. However, these efforts are not enough, considering the increasing crimes and under reporting. 

In the light of 16 days of activism starting on November 25th with the theme of “online abuse” this year, the webinar aims to discuss the issue in depth in Indian context.

Key Discussion Points

The suggested key-points for discussion are given below:

1. How effective are the current laws and regulations in addressing online violence against women in India?
2. Do we need a separate, dedicated law to comprehensively tackle technology-facilitated violence against women?
3. Should India consider becoming a party to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime? What could be the potential benefits and challenges?
4. Are existing institutions such as cyber police stations and cyber forensic laboratories equipped to deliver timely and effective justice to victims?
5. What are the key lacunae in the current system that hinder access to justice and victim support?
6. Can successful state-level models like the Cyber Dome Project be scaled up and adapted as a national model for combating online violence?
7. How can platform accountability, transparency, and reporting mechanisms be strengthened to better prevent and respond to online violence against women?

About the Webinar

The webinar will examine the expanding landscape of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls in India, situating the discussion within current evidence on deepfakes, online harassment, cyberstalking, and related harms. It will analyse the gaps in legal definitions, reporting practices, and institutional responses, including challenges in enforcement despite rising cybercrime complaints. Framed within the theme of online abuse for the 16 Days of Activism, the webinar seeks to advance a grounded understanding of the issue and the reforms required to address it.

Panellists

Mr Prakash P, IPS

IG, SCRB, Kerala Police

He had served as a Senior Police officer in several leadership roles in Kerala Police over the past 2 decades and excelled in Public order management, Administration, e-Governance and Cyber Security. He had served as the Nodal Officer for Police IT Division, Kerala Police Cyberdome, Counter Child Sexual Exploitation Centre (CCSE), Drone Forensic Lab & Research Centre positively influencing the IT and Cyber Security transformation of Kerala Police. He is a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2023.

Ms Sonali Patnakar

Responsible Netism

She is a leading child online protectionist and mental health advocate with over 30 years of experience in the development sector. She is the Founder-CEO of Responsible Netism and President of Ahaan Foundation, spearheading cyber wellness initiatives across India. Sonali has conducted over 1,000 workshops on digital safety, empowered more than 1.8 million children and 1 million adults, and was instrumental in establishing India’s first Cyber Wellness Centre in Goa. She serves as an external advisory member to the National Commission for Women, contributing to national cyber safety policies, and is recognized for her leadership in making the internet safer for women and children.

Mr Nikhil Narendran

Partner, Tri Legal

Nikhil Narendran is a Partner in Trilegal’s Bengaluru office and part of the TMT practice of the firm. He is a subject matter expert in the technology, media, and telecom communication space. Nikhil focuses on the interplay of technology, human lives, and commerce. He has substantial experience in advising companies on telecom, media and technology laws in relation to their entry into India, operations, strategy, policy, regulatory issues, disputes, and business models.

He advises new-age e-commerce, Fintech and technology companies in India on their business models and regulatory issues, including data protection. Nikhil’s advice in the telecom regulatory sector ranges from mobile telephony, enterprise, Satcom, cloud and call centre related work. In the media sector, Nikhil has advised traditional and new media content delivery services, including triple play, dual play and OTT.

Nikhil has also worked extensively with clients in relation to technology policy, including the private sector and the public sector. He is also called upon by his clients to advise on the best practices to follow during the consultation process for technology legislation in other Asian countries such as Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Moderator

Adv Anu Maria Francis

Senior Associate, Research and Project Management, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi

Anu Maria Francis works as a Senior Associate (Research and Project Management) at the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). She received her law degree from the National University of Advanced Legal Studies in Kochi. She has worked as a UPSC exam teacher and mentor for several coaching schools in Kerala.

Her scholarly interests include legal and urban governance, as well as concerns of livelihood. She won the 2022 Think Tank Shark Tank Award by Atlas Network USA. She spoke on the topic “Economic rights of women in Asia” at the Asia Liberty Forum 2022 in Manila, Philippines, and the Liberty Forum 2022 in New York. She has also interned with the Kerala State Information Commission, ACTIONAID India, Ceat Tyres Ltd, Biocon Pharma Ltd, Khaitan and Co Law Firm, among others.

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