NEW DELHI: Aimed at addressing the legal and institutional gaps in India’s response to cyber offences targeting women, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has urged a comprehensive review of existing cyber laws and sought stricter provisions to protect women from cyberbullying and harassment.
The Commission has proposed harsher penalties for cybercrimes against women and children, penal action for threats to share private and obscene content, a mandatory victim compensation fund and the appointment of district-level psychologists and forensic experts.
The NCW has submitted its report, which includes changes in IT Rules, 2021, Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and others, to the Union Ministries of Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology, Women and Child Development, and Home Affairs.
The Commission also recommended protecting the complainant's identity in cyber offences, including cyberbullying, trolling, deepfakes, and privacy violations, and requiring intermediaries to remove harmful content within 36 hours.
The recommendations, which were the outcome of its year-long national consultation aimed at reviewing and reforming India’s cyber legal framework through a gender-sensitive lens, have also suggested longer user data retention (360 days) and stronger protections for victims' anonymity.
The NCW said that the recommendatory report for law review 2024–25 represents one of the most comprehensive national reviews undertaken by the Commission to modernise legal protections for women in cyberspace.
"The report combines statutory review, stakeholder insights, and comparative global analysis to propose reforms that strengthen digital rights and privacy protections for women, promote platform accountability and transparency, enhance forensic and law enforcement capacities, and foster digital literacy and preventive awareness through education and community engagement," the NCW said.
Vijaya Rahatkar, Chairperson, NCW, said, “The digital world has opened infinite doors for women - of learning, enterprise, and expression - but it has also given rise to new frontiers of threat and intimidation.”
“It is our collective responsibility to ensure that technology becomes an instrument of empowerment, not exploitation. Through this report, NCW envisions a cyber-ecosystem where laws do not merely punish offenders, but protect dignity; where awareness replaces fear; and where every woman can step into the digital world without hesitation - confident, informed, and secure.”
The Commission’s recommendations span several major legislations and digital governance frameworks, including making it mandatory to account for the verification and inclusion of AI-manipulated imagery in rules, and introducing new provisions on gender-based harassment, platform transparency, AI audits, victim support, and cross-border content regulation.
The apex national organisation that protects and promote the interests of women in India has also suggested defining “sensitive personal data” and “gender-specific damage,” to adopt stricter consent norms and 24-hour breach reporting, to mandate the removal of non-consensual content within 12 hours, to implement tiered penalties for gendered data misuse, and to provide anonymous reporting options under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
The Commission has also sought to extend protection against digital harassment and remote workplaces; digital evidence protocols and tech support for Internal Committees (ICs) under the Mental Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, or the POSH Act, 2013.
Under the Indecent Representation of Women Act, 1986, the Commission has suggested that it should cover online and OTT content, provide swift 48-hour recourse for digital offences, hold intermediaries accountable, and establish a victim compensation fund.
Under the POCSO Act, it has suggested recognising digital manipulation and online grooming as offences, increasing penalties and child anonymity protection; social media accountability for failure to report abuse.
Under Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, the Commission suggested recognising metadata and temporary files as key digital evidence, ensuring fast-track forensic analysis and chain of custody for cybercrimes.
It also proposed that, under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, victim statements be recorded promptly, charge sheets and judgments shared without delay, and procedures for seizing and handling digital evidence be strengthened.
As part of its national consultation, the NCW held eight regional consultations in Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Gujarat, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh, followed by two rounds of national consultations at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, and at the National Law University and Judicial Academy, Guwahati.
The final consultation was attended by Union Law and Justice Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who appreciated NCW’s proactive efforts to drive reforms that safeguard women in the digital space.
Hundreds of experts, including judges, senior advocates, technology specialists, police officers, academicians, and members of civil society, participated in the consultative process.
“Their collective insights culminated in a comprehensive set of over 200 actionable recommendations aimed at addressing the legal and institutional gaps in India’s response to cyber offences targeting women,” the Commission said.
