In today’s society women are being targeted in most of the cyber-attacks. Development in technology and widespread usage of internet has paved way for the increase in atrocities against them. Threats and attacks against women can come in different forms. Most of the online scams involve morphing, cyber-stalking, bullying and other internet based attacks. This can lead to the mental imbalance in women and there were cases which ended in suicide.
The attackers may spread a scam for a fun purpose but the issue gets serious and adversely affect the life of the victim. Compared to men, native women are very weak. They are vulnerable to many attacks. Some people perform financial frauds against women. Household woman who knows less about the internet and current happenings often fall for their trap and loses money.
Accounting for all these cyber-crimes, the Kerala Police along with the support of the government has launched an online portal “Aparijitha is online” which means “stranger is online” helps women to report cyber-crimes and file complaints using the evidence they have. Due to the increase in attacks against women, the issue is taken as a serious issue.
Kerala is a state which ensures the protection of women and provides facilities for them to grow in their own fields of interest and lead a successful life.
Even after this safety condition is prevailing in Kerala, there are incidents where women’s photos are being morphed and pasted in pornographic images and circulating them through online platforms. In these cases, the victim becomes vulnerable and unsure of what to do.
When these types of malicious happenings occur, try to contact the nearest police station or cyber cell. But still, Kerala lacked places where women can openly address the issue of cyber harassment. To mitigate this problem, the Kerala Police has launched an online website “Aparijitha online” to report cyber-crimes against women.
The functioning of this portal will be a combined effort of the Kerala Police and Women cell.
Hackers are always taking advantage of women’s innocence and curiosity.
Through this portal, women can send complaint using email with the evidence attached to them. Evidence can be of any form; a photo, video, screenshot or a link. The officials will verify the concern and will take necessary actions.
The police have given charge to women personnel who have been trained and can handle these complaints maturely. The administrative management control of the website is handed over to the SP of women cell. This team will investigate the complaint by understanding the gravity of the crime. Then, they will forward it to the concerned Police authorities.
The government has taken such an action, as they were receiving complaints continuously from women about the lack of awareness of where to send the complaint. The main motive of this initiative is to separate women cyber cases from other cases and strictly look into them.
The head of the investigation officers says that for the last two months, they received around 14 complaints. They are also planning to create an awareness program through social media and share relevant information with people about the safety and protection of women.
Major cyber-crimes against women:
- Cyber stalking
- Harassment through emails
- Child pornography
- Cyber grooming
- Cyber defamation
- Cyber bullying
How to prevent cyber-attacks against women
- When you have experienced a cyber-crime, report to the nearest Police Station or Cyber Cell immediately.
- In cases of hacking, the following information should be provided to the cyber cell:
- Softcopy or hardcopy of the infected website.
- In case of data breach, provide softcopy/hardcopy of the original data as well as compromised data.
- Access details of the system.
- List of the people you suspect.
- If you are subjected to vulgar messages or email abuse, report to the Police with the copy of the extended header of the mail or message. Never remove the mail from your mailbox.
- Never leave your webcam active.
- Restrict your personal information.