Sexual Offences Against Women's: A Legal Perspective with special reference to "Digital Rape"

Sexual crimes against women have created long difficult and grave challenges to the Indian criminal jurisprudence system, demanding a balance between ‘victims protection’ and the principles of ‘fair and just trial'. With the evolution of technological advancements and forensic science, the extent of what constitutes rape has been also gone expanded. A particular and notable development is the recognition of “digital rape,” where the penetration by fingers or objects, however it was distinct from penile penetration, is equally invasive as well as traumatic. In this is paper it examines the legal perspective of sexual crimes against the women with reference especially to digital rape, tracing its legislative incorporation under Criminial Law (Amend.) Act ,2013, which enlarged the definition of the rape under Sec.-375 of Indian Penal Code,1860 by analyzing judicial interpretations, legislative intention and comparative perspectives of the enactment. This study focuses on how law has adapted to deal with new aspect of the sexual violence against women, while also exploring continuous gaps in enforcement, victims support and societal perception in the society.