INDIA’S CYBERCRIME CRISIS

Decline in Domestic Violence Cases

The National Commission for Women (NCW) reported a decline in domestic violence complaints in 2023, following a surge during the pandemic years. The total number of complaints across various categories of crimes against women was 28,811 in 2023, down from over 30,000 in the preceding two years.

Key Points:

1. The increase in domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic was a worldwide trend.The recent decline in numbers reflects a return to pre-Covid trends.
2. In 2023, out of the 28,811 complaints, 6,304 were related to domestic violence.
3. In 2021, out of 30,864 cases, 6,633 were related to domestic violence.
4. The following year, 2022, saw an increase in the total number of complaints to 30,957, with domestic violence cases constituting 6,970 of them.

Corruption Perceptions Index 2023

According to the most recent report by Transparency International, India is positioned 93rd in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2023, among a total of 180 countries. The index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption, with Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, and Norway leading the list.

Key Points:

1. The CPI uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 indicates high corruption and 100 signifies very clean. India’s score for 2023 was 39, a slight decrease from 40 in 2022.
2. In the Asian region, Singapore topped the list with a score of 83, ranking fifth overall.
3. The report highlighted concerns about the narrowing of civic space in India, particularly with the passage of a telecommunications bill that could potentially threaten fundamental rights.
4. Western Europe and the European Union remained the top-scoring regions, despite a drop in their average score to 65 due to weakening checks and balances and eroding political integrity.
5. In South Asia, Pakistan (rank 133) and Sri Lanka (rank 115) are dealing with political instability due to their respective debt burdens. However, strong judicial oversight in both countries is helping to keep the government in check.
6. China (rank 76) has been in the news for its aggressive anti-corruption crackdown, which has resulted in the punishment of over 3.7 million public officials for graft over the last decade. However, the report raises doubts about the long-term effectiveness of such measures due to China’s heavy reliance on punishment rather than institutional checks on power.
7. The countries at the bottom of the index include Myanmar (162), Afghanistan (162), North Korea (172), and Somalia (180), which had the lowest score of 11.