Govt cites multi-ministry framework to tackle online child sexual abuse
The government has put in place a comprehensive and coordinated institutional framework to prevent, detect and combat online sexual abuse and exploitation of children, the Women and Child Development Ministry told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur, responding to a question, said the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) have, within their respective statutory domains, established this framework.
"These policies of the government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe, trusted, and accountable internet for its users, including women and children in the digital space," Thakur said.
The government has launched the 'Sahyog' portal to expedite notices to IT intermediaries for removal or disabling of access to unlawful online content, including Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Material (CSEAM), according to the ministry.
The minister said the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, provides for safeguarding children against sexual offences, including online abuse, while the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, further strengthen the legal framework.
She said the regulatory framework has been further strengthened through amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, to address harms arising from synthetically generated information (SGI), including deepfakes and AI-generated content, requiring intermediaries to remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving an order from a competent court or a reasoned intimation from the appropriate government or its authorised agency.
According to the minister, the government is also implementing the 'Information Security Education and Awareness (ISEA)' project to build human resources in information security and raise general awareness of cyber hygiene and cybersecurity. So far, 6,650 awareness workshops have been conducted across the country, covering more than 11.37 lakh participants, including school and college students, teachers, law enforcement personnel, government staff and the general public, she said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs operates the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal for reporting cybercrime complaints, with special focus on crimes against children, and has set up the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) to coordinate action against cybercrimes, the minister said.
She added that the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) coordinates with I4C and MeitY to address Online Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) and conducts awareness programmes on child rights, including school safety, cyber safety and the POCSO Act.
"The NCPCR has developed and periodically updated guidance documents, including Being Safe Online (2017), the Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools (updated in 2020-21) and the Guidelines on Preventing Cyber Bullying for School Children (2024), to promote digital safety, prevent cyber bullying and enhance awareness among children, parents, teachers and other stakeholders," Thakur told the Rajya Sabha.
(Inputs with PTI)