Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 2 (PTI) The Keralam government is examining the legal aspects of introducing a special Act to prevent insults

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 2 (PTI) The Keralam government is examining the legal aspects of introducing a special Act to prevent insults

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 2 (PTI) The Keralam government is examining the legal aspects of introducing a special Act to prevent insults

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 2 (PTI) The Keralam government is examining the legal aspects of introducing a special Act to prevent insults and attacks against women on social media, Chief Minister V D Satheesan said here on Monday.

He said the idea was to introduce a special law as existing legislation offered very little protection against such attacks on social media, following a Supreme Court verdict.

"The government is thinking of sending those who attack women on social media to prison by bringing in a special Act," Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister was inaugurating the two-day 'Puthuyuga Women's Policy -- HER Summit 2026', organised by the Women and Child Development Department here as part of the 'Makaloppam' initiative.

Satheesan said women were most often insulted and attacked on social media, with ordinary women being the primary targets.

Taking a dig at those who attack women online, he said that people who once wrote vulgar graffiti on train and public toilet walls had now shifted to digital platforms.

"Earlier, we used to see vulgar graffiti on the walls of train toilets and public toilets. We don't see such graffiti anymore, but those who used to write them are now using social media to target women," Satheesan said.

He said the government's aim was to ensure that no woman was attacked or insulted on social media.

The Chief Minister also said that chief ministers, ministers, MLAs and other political leaders knew how to defend themselves against attacks on social media.

"But what can an ordinary woman, who does not know how to defend herself against such attacks, do? It is for them that we are planning this special Act," Satheesan said.

Satheesan said the state would implement a model women's policy with firm commitment and without compromise to ensure the safety and protection of women.

He said women would be fully protected from violence and harassment in public places, workplaces and homes.

The policy was being drafted after gathering opinions from people across different sections of society, with the aim of making it a model for other states in India, he added.

"Usually, governments formulate a policy and ask others to follow it. Here, we are seeking suggestions and opinions from all stakeholders, and the policy will be formulated by you. I assure you that the government will implement this policy with strong commitment," Satheesan said.

The Chief Minister said large-scale programmes to help women achieve financial self-reliance will be launched this year itself.

He said the government will identify products and services suited to each region and provide support for their marketing, with assistance from the government and a knowledge partner.

The CM said the projects would not be put on hold citing financial constraints and that the ambitious initiative would be implemented in full.

He said the government was also working to ensure the financial independence of women and that several projects were in the pipeline.

A major project to ensure the financial independence of every Kudumbashree member would be launched soon, he said.

"It is not a project designed for the entire state. Each area will have projects exclusively designed for that region," Satheesan said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)