NEW DELHI: Highlighting the growing challenge of online crimes against women and children, home secretary Govind Mohan on Friday exhorted the law enforcement agencies to ensure prompt and coordinated response to such cases while also urging the information technology (IT) intermediaries to adhere to all legal provisions meant to secure the digital space for women and children. Addressing the inaugural session of the national dialogue on ‘online crimes against women and children’ (OCWC) organised here by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), Mohan asked the states and UTs to strengthen their institutional capacities and develop robust, specialised units and dedicated response mechanisms to ensure timely investigation, victim support and swift action against the perpetrators.The event intends to bring together key stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening coordinated mechanisms to prevent and effectively respond to online crimes targeting women and children. “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the guidance of home minister Amit Shah, government of India remains committed to strengthening institutional mechanisms and fostering 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 held during the dialogue dwelt on the emerging trends and patterns in online crimes against women and children; strengthening investigative frameworks and digital forensics capabilities; improving victim support and reporting mechanisms; enhancing coordination with digital platforms for timely removal of harmful content; and promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration for prevention, awareness and enforcement.Addressing the gathering, Mohan called upon all stakeholders to work collectively towards ensuring a safe and secure digital ecosystem.The national dialogue provides a platform for knowledge exchange, sharing of best practices, and collective deliberation on building a coordinated national strategy to address the evolving challenges posed by online crimes in the digital environment.The inauguration also marked the launch of master trainers induction programme in the states/UTs on online crimes against women and children, aimed at creating a national pool of trained officers to lead capacity-building initiatives in their respective states and UTs. The programme seeks to equip selected officers with specialized knowledge, investigative techniques, and best practices required 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 to such crimes.Participating in the national dialogue on Friday were senior officials of the state and UT law enforcement agencies, representatives from concerned ministries and departments of the government of India, social media intermediaries, internet service providers, academia, civil society organizations, legal experts, and student representatives.
