Crimes against women: India's law and order machinery needs a reboot

National Crime Records Bureau data shows a 4% rise in the number of crimes against women in 2022 over 2021, and nearly a 20% increase compared to the number of gender crimes reported in 2020

As protests rage across the country and a political blame game ensues over the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital case, questions are rightfully being raised about women’s safety in the country. The horrific rape and murder of an on-duty trainee doctor in Kolkata last week brought back memories of the nurse who was raped in Mumbai in 1973. Both the victims faced brutality in their workplace. What has added to the horror is that it has happened in a sector where women work in large numbers. Unfortunately, sexual harassment and other heinous crimes against women are fairly common in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi did well to highlight the issue in his Independence Day speech last week.

The data released by the National Crime Records Bureau shows a 4 per cent increase in the number of crimes against women in 2022 over 2021, and nearly a 20 per cent increase compared to the number of gender crimes reported in 2020. The chargesheet rate was a mere 75.8 per cent in 2022. A staggering 31,516 rape cases were recorded in the country in 2022. At the same time, the victim count for workplace sexual harassment against women increased from 402 in 2018 to 422 in 2022. However, the actual figures are likely to be much higher because such crimes mostly go unreported due to fear of reprisal, prevailing stigmas around victims, and a lack of faith in police investigation. Further, victim-blaming attitudes and misogynistic undertones prevailing in society cause under-reporting of several crimes. Though rescinded now, a recent advisory issued by Assam’s Silchar Medical College Hospital urging female students and staff to refrain from venturing outside the campus during odd hours is a case in point.

Notably, the National Family Health Survey-5 report concludes nearly one-third of women aged between 15 and 49 years in India have experienced physical, sexual, or domestic violence. Strict legislation enacted in the aftermath of the Nirbhaya case in 2012 has, unfortunately, not been very effective. Implementing laws like the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, or the POSH Act, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, or the Pocso Act, remain below par. Regulations such as establishing an internal complaints committee (ICC) in every organisation cannot resolve problems fully. In 2018, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) mandated all listed companies disclose data on cases of sexual harassment in their annual reports each year. While it was indeed a welcome step, the data remains scattered.

Although the Union government increased its budgetary allocation for the Nirbhaya Fund from Rs 100 crore in 2023-24 (Revised Estimate) to Rs 200 crore in 2024-25, this is unlikely to help much. Instead, India’s law and order machinery needs an urgent reboot, along with measures to ensure speedy delivery of justice. Crimes against women also have direct economic repercussions. By discouraging women from entering the job market, crime exacerbates gender gaps in labour-force participation. Addressing these issues at the earliest can strengthen the fight against gender-based violence.