Nation cannot celebrate its achievements if women and children not safe: Law Minister Rijiju
A society or a nation cannot celebrate its achievements if its women and children are not safe, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday, dubbing the crime of child sexual abuse as one of the most grave and disconcerting challenges.
Addressing a conference on ‘Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM)’, hosted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) at the Vigyan Bhawan here, Rijiju said that “we will have to go beyond legal provisions” and society must come together to ensure safety of women and children.
He described the conference as “timely and very relevant” and said, “We expect that concrete outcomes will come out of it.”
In his address, Rijiju underlined that “a society or a nation cannot celebrate its achievements if their women and children are not safe”.
He particularly stressed on the issue of violence faced by children, and urged all stakeholders and the society to do more. “The violence against children, especially child sexual abuse… I feel, and it is for everyone, is the most grave and disconcerting challenges,” the minister said.
“All crimes are bad, but crimes against children are difficult to digest. How can you commit crimes against children? We have to be extremely serious in our approaches. It cannot be treated just as a crime. If you look at it just as a crime, then we will deal with it just as an ordinary crime,” Rijiju said.
The minister inaugurated the two-day conference on Thursday in the presence of NHRC Chairperson Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra and the rights panel members. It was attended by senior government officers, legal experts, academicians and scholars, among others.
The aim of the is to derive recommendations for stakeholders such as policy makers and content hosts, including social media platforms, and law enforcement agencies, after deliberations to advocate safe cyberspace for children.
Rijiju described CSAM as a “great menace” and said he looked forward to receive suggestions, recommendations and actionable points from the NHRC after this conference.
The NHRC chief in his address said, “We have witnessed an exponential rise in internet users over the past decade”.
“By the end of 2020, India had nearly 70 crore internet users. Cyberspace is being misused to infringe on civil and human rights, including individual privacy. Cyber security is the key to fighting cybercrime and preserving human rights. Digital forensic science is an edifice of the criminal justice system to prevent infringement and preserve and promote human rights. It strengthens the rule of law,” he said.
Justice Mishra said cyberspace has “96 per cent of the dark web” and it is the most potent medium used for sex trafficking and slavery involving women, children, tribals and vulnerable sections of society.
