Union Home Secretary Inaugurates National Dialogue on Online Crimes Against Women and Children in New Delhi

New Delhi, March 13: The Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan inaugurated the ‘National Dialogue on Online Crimes Against Women and Children (OCWC)’ in the national capital today. The event was organised by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the aim of strengthening coordinated mechanisms to prevent and respond effectively to online crimes targeting women and children.

The Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring a safe, secure, and dignified digital environment for women and children across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Govind Mohan highlighted the growing challenges posed by cyber offences in an increasingly digital ecosystem. He emphasised the need to strengthen institutional capacities at the State and Union Territory levels, calling for robust specialised units and coordinated response mechanisms to ensure timely investigations, victim support, and swift action against offenders.

He directed all State and UT law enforcement agencies to prioritise online crimes against women and children and ensure prompt, coordinated responses. He also urged IT intermediaries to strictly comply with the provisions of the Information Technology Act and related regulations, stressing collective responsibility in safeguarding the digital space.

The National Dialogue served as a platform for knowledge exchange, sharing best practices, and developing a coordinated national strategy to address evolving cyber challenges. Discussions focused on emerging crime trends, strengthening investigative frameworks, enhancing digital forensics capabilities, improving victim support systems, and promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration.

On the occasion, the Master Trainers Induction Programme was also launched for States and Union Territories. The initiative aims to build a national pool of trained officers who will lead capacity-building efforts in their respective regions. These master trainers will further train law enforcement personnel at state and district levels, strengthening the country’s overall response framework against cyber threats targeting women and children.

The event witnessed participation from senior officials of State and UT law enforcement agencies, representatives of central ministries, social media intermediaries, academia, civil society organisations, legal experts, and student representatives.

The initiative marks a significant step towards enhancing coordination, awareness, and enforcement mechanisms to ensure a safer digital ecosystem in India.