ABSTRACT:

A child’s Age is a sensitive phase from all stages of life. They are the most innocent and vulnerable target for crimes. When an offence happens, it not only incapacitates them physically but mentally and emotionally as well. Children are the future of a nation as they are ones who will take the country in the track of progress and prosperity but in present scenarios the crime rate against the builders of the nation i.e., “Children’’ are increasing day by day. They are being forcefully indulged in a various activities such as trafficking, and begging, they are being sold just for the sake of money and are being killed also. Sexual abuse of a children and sexual exploitation of children, including on the internet, and child pornography as well, constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights, especially as regards the right of the child of protection and care, necessary for children's well-being. In India, cyber crimes Are covered by the Information Technology Act 2000. Which deals with the issues related to cyber-crimes and electronic commerce. Further analysis of this Where crimes against children in India increased steeply by 179 per cent IN 2013 – 2022. During the same period, the number of covered all crimes in India decreased by 123 per cent.

1. INTRODUCTION:

As the web usage is growing daily the world is returning nearer. The World Wide Web appears like a huge development, however surprisingly one of its qualities is bringing the globe nearer, creating it a smaller place to live in for its users. However, at constant it is conjointly managed to form another downside for its users, which is Cyber Crime. the matter of cybercrime is growing steadily and plenty of individuals have become victims of hacking, fraud, malicious software etc. Alternative words represent the cybercrime as Criminal activity directly associated with the use of computers, specifically illegal trespass into the PC system or info of another, manipulation, or theft of stored or on-line knowledge, or sabotage of apparatus and knowledge. The web area or cyber area is growing in no time and as the cybercrimes. Cybercrime is classified into numerous varieties as hacking, theft, cyberstalking, malicious software, a child asking for and abuse etc.

2. CYBER CRIME AND CHILD ABUSE:

Children are the most vulnerable sections of society and are easily exploited in the cyber world due to lack of majority level in them. These days it is seen that even sexual exploitation of children has started online. The offenders chat online with young children by wrongly saying/standing for their age and lure them towards sex. With these latest technologies it has become extremely easy for the criminal to contact children. Children are easily exploited by online criminals not only because of their age and majority but also as they heavily rely on networking sites for social interaction. Offenders use false identities in chat rooms to lure victims for personal meetings. This leads to child abuse and exploitation such as trafficking and sex tourism. The child never knows the person with whom he or she is chatting. It is only when they happen to meet each other in person that they see an old man in their forties or fifties with whom they were chatting and realize their mistake.

3. CHILDREN AS TARGETS OF INTERNET CRIME:

Traditionally, both interfamilial offenders and strangers have found that young children and teenagers are perfect targets for criminal acts because they are often trusting, naive, curious, adventuresome, and eager for attention and affection. However, the most attractive factor to predators is that children and teenagers historically have not been viewed as credible witnesses. Today, the danger to children is even greater because the Internet provides predators anonymity. Whether the victimization occurs in person or over the Internet, the process is the same the perpetrator uses information to target a child victim. For example, the predator may start an online friendship with a young person, sharing hobbies and interests. This may lead to the exchange of gifts and pictures. Just like the traditional predator that targets children in person, the online predator usually is willing to spend considerable time befriending and grooming a child .In addition to these crimes, criminals also engage in child abuse online, other types of cybercrime such as child exploitation, cyberbullying, possession of child pornography, exposure to harmful content, and many more. Also, it has been seen that young children or teenagers are the primary and easy targets for criminal activity as they are trusting, naive, adventurous, and eager for attention and affection. For instance, the predator might approach a young individual online and form an online friendship based on the same likes, interests, and activities. Gifts and photos could be exchanged because of this. The predator tries to gain the child’s trust to get what they want from the child. And this is why the government is dedicated to laws, initiatives, and policies to ensure all Indians always have access to an open, trusted, and accountable internet.

According to the NCRB data:

• The top five states reporting cyber-crimes against children are Uttar Pradesh (170), Karnataka
• (144), Maharashtra (137), Kerala (107), and Odisha (71),

Steps Taken by Indian Government And NCRB:

In its magazine “Crime in India“, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) collects and broadcasts statistical information on crimes. The 2020 report is the most recent to be made public. A total of 305 and 1102 cases of cybercrime against children were reported in 2019 and 2020.

According to the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, “Police” and “Public Order” are state matters. Through their Law Enforcement Agencies, States and Union Territories (UTs) oversee reducing, detecting, investigating, and punishing crimes, including cybercrime (LEAs). These LEAs prosecute offenders under the law’s provisions.

The Central Government supported the efforts of the State Government by providing guidance and financial support through various schemes for their ability building.

To take necessary steps to stop the problem and ensure the safety and security of women and young children using online platforms, the Ministry of Women and Child Development raised the issue with the Ministries of Home Affairs (MHA), Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), and Education.

The Ministry of Education was asked to give the necessary instruction to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for including right cyber safety content in the school curriculum of children and recommended that the State Governments do the same through their School Boards to empower children in navigating the online world with proper security.

4. CYBER CRIME AGAINST CHILDREN:

The Information and communication technologies have created a brand-new area for the kids to learn and play. Its area of both opportunities and risks wherever the youngsters is developed however on the opposite hand they will be the victims of cybercrime. The information and communication technologies enabled the offenders to create the children as their target severally and together. The potential motives of the offenders include personal gratification, typically by manner of sexual exploitation, cash creating etc.

The online exploitation of youngsters could be a growing international concern, with advances in technology helping their abuse. Low-cost costs for info and communication technologies devices and straightforward web access means the sex offenders have new access to material and a web community to affirm their abusive and exploitive behaviour. Kids and young people are adopting the technologies earlier and more typically and inadvertently exposing themselves to on-line child predators at a new rate. Statutory offense for personal and industrial purposes, child trafficking, cyber grooming and cyber bullying are just a few of the risks the digital age has dropped on children across the globe. Whereas info and technology advances has not essentially given rise to completely new types of child abuse, they need in some cases changes the character and dimensions of the exploitation. Through the internet, online predators can gain access to children faster and in higher volumes, using chat rooms, emails, online games, and social networking sites to find and groom victims. Cyberspace has also significantly reduced the risk and increased the ability for offenders to access child sex abuse materials.

“Prior to the internet, an offender was thought to have a huge collection with 150 images of children; today a 150,000 images collection is quite standard, and 1.5 million image collections not heard of,” said Dr. Joe Sullivan, a forensic psychologist who works with child sex offenders. New forms of exploitations are also developing with easy accessibility: ‘made-toorder’ child sexual abuse material is an example, where offenders order materials to their specifications, such as age and race of victims, the nature of the sexual conduct, the setting and fantasy storylines.

• Child pornography
• Online grooming
• Cheating
• Cyberstalking
• Cyberbullying
• Hacking
• Online child trafficking
• Online extortion
• Online sexual harassment
• Violation of privacy

5. NEW ONLINE GAMES:

In a bid to counter cybercrime against children, including the threat posed by online games such as the 'Blue Whale' and 'Momo' challenge, the government has launched its own game application. Known as the 'cyber trivia' app, it would include a set of multiple-choice questions which will help the kids learn ways to deal with strangers on the internet, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) said.

"It is an attempt to teach these children in a fun way, what should be done if they are contacted by a stranger on the Internet who might ask for their pictures or ask them to do things", Yashwant Jain, a member of the NCPCR said.

The game has been developed amid rising cases of suicide by children due to challenges like 'blue whale' and 'Momo'. It will soon be available on online stores.

"The children these days outsmart even their parents. They do not understand the dangers the cyber world poses, and online games would be effective. That is the reason we decided to develop this game," Mr. Jain added.

Sujatha Sharma, a child psychologist, said that the app is based on behaviour modification techniques. "We use a system of rewards and punishments to encourage positive behaviour and discourage negative behaviour. It is a standard technique of behaviour modification therapy". She said the game might interest younger children but to capture the interest of teenagers it needs to evolve.

6. CYBER CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN CAN NOW BE REPORTED AT THE POSCO E-BOX:

Child victims of cybercrimes can now lodge their complaints at the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR)’s POCSO e-box. Considering the growing menace of cybercrimes targeting children, NCPCR has now enhanced the scope of the POCSO e-box to manage cyberbullying, cyber stalking, morphing of images and child pornography. Child victims themselves or their friends, parents, relatives, or guardians can report cyber crimes by pressing the e-box button available at the Commission’s website, www.ncpcr.gov.in They can also register their complaints on email id: pocsoebox-ncpcr@gov.in or mobile no.: 9868235077. Child abuse is finding new forms and channels through mobile and digital technologies. In India, about 134 million children have access to mobile phones and the number is growing extremely fast with even faster access to internet. While this provides opportunities for accessing useful material for learning purposes, the lack of digital literacy and online safety measures expose children to hazards of cybercrime. POCSO e-box is an easy and direct medium for reporting of child sexual abuse under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

7. PREVENTIVE MEASURES TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM CYBER CRIME:

The best tool a child has for screening material found on the internet is his or her brain. In most of the cases, the parents manage the conduct of the children. To avoid cybercrime, the parents should teach their children about exploitation, pornography, hate literature, excessive violence and other issues that concern the parents, so that the children know how to respond when they see this material. There should be a commercial online service that offers parental control features. These features can block content that is not clearly marked as proper for children, including chat rooms, bulletin boards, newsgroups, discussion groups, and websites. The parents should check their children when they are using the internet or when they are online. On the other hand, the children can also make themselves safe from cybercrime. The child should let his or her parents at once if he or she finds something scary or threatening on the internet. The children should never give out their name, address, telephone number, password, school name, parent’s name, or any other personal information online. The children should never agree to meet anyone with someone they have met online and never respond to any message that has vulgar words, seems scary, weird, or uncomfortable.

8. PRECAUTIONS TO BE TAKEN ON SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES:

• Social networking sites are proven to be a great tool of sharing information, but we need to follow some precautions while using them:
• Personal information should be posted to a limited extent.
• Use passwords that are not common, for example, use alphabets along with numerals.
• Do not post any personal information about your friends and family members.
• Install and upgrade anti-virus software regularly.

9. CONCLUSION:

There are several factors that make children more vulnerable to cybercrime: Gender plays a significant role with most victims being girls, but race socioeconomic background, age, and risky behaviour typical of adolescents make some children more vulnerable than others. Experts agree that better education and awareness are essential to protect children from online crimes. The parents should work to overcome the generational digital divide and take a personal stake in the technologies they give their children, educating them on their safe use and on the potential ramifications of careless online behaviour.

Parents and educators need a good understanding of how sex offenders work.

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