At an Interactive Discussion organised by the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) on the growing online abuse faced by women, speakers drawn from law, media and student activism highlighted the inherent misogyny in the online content that aims to intimidate and quell the voice of women in public spheres. Coupled with a sore lack of accountability on the part of digital platforms and laws governing them, this makes it very hard, even impossible for women to sustain their commitment to public causes.
Women are frequently trolled, targeted with rape and death threats, abusive messages, character assassination, and doctored or AI-generated images.
Apar Gupta, digital rights advocate and founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation; underlined the role of social media platforms in amplifying abusive content and enabling coordinated harassment. ” Online abuse is not only about individual comments but also the power of digital platforms and how they allow such abuse to spread,” he said.
Student- activists Sharnya Verma and Sakhi, who had participated vigorously in the recent CJP protest at Jantar Mantar said that women participants at the protest site were being threatened by “goons”.
Both the young women activists have since faced online abuse. ” It is meant to intimidate us and discourage us from speaking out,” Verma said. Sakhi added, “Women should not be forced to leave public or digital spaces because of threats and harassment. There must be accountability and action against those who target them.”
They also spoke of young women who had actively participated in the protest, now being pressured by their families to stay away from the movement.
The effect of pressure from within the family plus being the target of online abuse can push women out of public spaces, preventing them from exercising their right to express themselves and to participate.
Although abusive accounts may have limited individual reach, the message gains visibility through sharing, algorithmic amplification and organised campaigns.
Prof. Mukesh Kumar, Editor Satya Hindi stressed the need for concrete steps to create greater public awareness about media literacy. He said ordinary citizens needed to understand how media platforms operate and be able to recognise when media coverage or narratives are biased, and to understand the intentions behind them. Media literacy should reach the “aam aadmi”, enabling people to critically assess information rather than passively consume it.
The younger generation, was increasingly aware of the internet’s influence and reach. Effective implementation of existing laws and regulatory mechanisms is still a major challenge, he said.
The speakers highlighted the gap between existing legal provisions and their implementation, calling for prompt action against threats, stronger reporting mechanisms and greater support for victims.
They stressed the need for greater accountability from social media companies, improved digital literacy and safer online spaces.