In a significant move to address the escalating issue of online abuse against women, Derek O'Brien, a Rajya Sabha MP from the All India Trinamool Congress, introduced a private member's bill in the Parliament on Friday.
The proposed legislation aims to amend the Information Technology Act, specifically targeting violent and abusive behaviour against women online, particularly based on their religion, caste, or sexuality.
What does the Bill entail?
In the contemporary digital landscape, the rise of online abuse against women has become a pervasive and alarming concern. The cloak of anonymity provided by the internet often encourages offenders to engage in verbal harassment, threats, and demeaning conduct towards women. Social media platforms, initially seen as platforms for connection, have unfortunately transformed into breeding grounds for misogyny and gender-based violence. Women are frequently subjected to cyberbullying, revenge porn, and various other forms of online abuse, impacting not only their mental well-being but also fostering a hostile online environment.
The bill seeks to make online threats and abuses against women "cognizable and non-bailable offenses," proposing jail terms of up to three years and/or fines of up to ₹50,000 as the minimum punishment. Repeat offences could lead to sentences of up to seven years in jail and/or fines of up to ₹4 lakh, with subsequent violations carrying penalties of up to ten years in prison and fines of up to ₹10 lakh. Significantly, the bill proposes that the fines collected be provided to the victim as compensation.
Introducing the bill, O’Brien stated, “[This bill] amends the Information Technology Act to penalise threats of physical, sexual and emotional violence based on religion, caste or sexuality against women online.”
The bill proposes to criminalise acts that are committed against any woman “to intimidate or discredit her or force her to express a certain view, opinion or observation, or to force her to state any view, opinion or observation or to force her to refrain from expressing a certain view, opinion or observation."
Such actions encompass threats of physical harm, sexual assault, dissemination of false information, false accusations, questioning citizenship, imputing disloyalty to India, and engaging in abusive behaviour based on religion, caste, or sexuality.
The bill encourages women to approach the legal machinery to seek justice. It attempts to de-structuring the hierarchy and acceptability of online abuse. Generally, online abuse is placed secondary to other forms of sexual assault.
As the bill is debated and discussed in the Parliament, it represents a crucial step towards creating a safer and more inclusive online space for women in India.
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