CYBERCRIME AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA: PATTERNS, LEGAL GAPS, AND A GENDER-RESPONSIVE POLICY FRAMEWORK

Abstract

The proliferation of digital platforms has produced a twin effect: unprecedented access to information and connectivity for women, and an equally unprecedented expansion of online gender-based violence (OGBV). In India, reported cybercrimes against women grew by more than 93% between 2020 and 2022 — a trajectory that official estimates suggest has continued sharply upward through 2024. This paper conducts a systematic, multi-dimensional analysis of cybercrime targeting women in India, examining six primary categories: online harassment and cyberstalking, non-consensual intimate image (NCII) abuse, online financial fraud, identity theft and impersonation, cyber blackmail and sextortion, and online grooming. Employing a mixed-methods framework combining secondary data analysis of NCRB records (2018-2024), doctrinal legal analysis of applicable legislation, and comparative benchmarking against international best-practice jurisdictions (United States, United Kingdom, European Union), the study identifies systemic failures across three interacting domains: legislative inadequacy, institutional capacity deficits, and structural gaps in victim support ecosystems. The investigation reveals that India's current legal architecture — distributed across the Information Technology Act 2000, the Indian Penal Code (now Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023), and the DPDPA 2023 — is fragmented, technologically outdated, and procedurally hostile to victim-centered justice. Conviction rates remain below 5%, reporting rates are estimated at under 15% of actual incidence, and platform accountability mechanisms are largely absent. In response, this paper proposes the SHERIELD Model — a six-pillar, gender-responsive cybercrime policy framework calibrated to India's institutional, financial, and socio-cultural context. Policy recommendations are directed at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), state police departments, and digital platforms operating in Indian jurisdiction. This research contributes an original, actionable, and evidence-grounded framework to the critically underserved intersection of gender justice, digital rights, and cybersecurity policy in developing nation contexts.