Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence In India: Cyberbullying, Deepfakes, And The Law
- IJLLR Journal
- Feb 27
- 1 min read
Dr. Shradha Sharma, Assistant Professor, School of Law, Bennett University
ABSTRACT
Digital technologies have transformed communication, work, and education, but they have also created new spaces for violence. Women and minor girls are disproportionately targeted through cyberbullying, deepfake pornography, image-based abuse, cyberstalking, and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV). Global estimates suggest that about one in ten women have already experienced some form of cyber violence since the age of 15, and that girls and young women are among the biggest targets of online abuse.
Recent research shows that non-consensual sexually explicit deepfakes now constitute the overwhelming majority of deepfake videos online and overwhelmingly target women, adding a new layer of psychological harm and reputational risk. In India, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data indicate a steady rise in cyber-crime and crimes against women, signalling that online violence is part of a broader continuum of gendered harm.
This paper examines cyberbullying, deepfakes, and online gender-based violence against women and minor girls through a socio-legal lens. It (i) conceptualises key forms of technology-facilitated violence, (ii) situates them within international human rights standards, (iii) analyses the Indian legal framework (IT Act, IPC, POCSO, intermediary rules, and data protection law), (iv) discusses enforcement challenges and illustrative cases, and (v) proposes legal, policy, and institutional reforms. The paper argues that existing laws, while not wholly inadequate, are fragmented and reactive. A comprehensive, victim-centred and techno-social approach—integrating law reform, platform accountability, digital literacy, and gender- transformative education—is essential to meaningfully protect women and girls in the digital age.
Keywords: Cyberbullying, Deepfakes, Online Gender-Based Violence, Women, Minor Girls, India, Technology-Facilitated Violence, Image-Based Abuse.
