IndiaPosted at: Oct 27 2026 4:57PM


NHRC seeks sweeping overhaul of women’s safety regulations, flags police failures, workplace gaps

Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Oct 27 (UNI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for sweeping reforms to strengthen women’s safety at workplaces and public spaces, flagging police insensitivity, inadequate security infrastructure and gaps in mechanisms to prevent harassment and violence.
In an advisory, the commission recommended functional CCTV cameras, emergency alarm buttons in buses and trains, time-bound police response standards, mandatory gender-sensitisation training for police personnel and an end to victim-blaming. It also proposed a legislation to encourage bystanders to intervene in crimes against women and mandatory gender audits for new large-scale infrastructure projects.
The NHRC has sought action-taken reports within two months from the Centre, states and union Territories on implementing its recommendations. The advisory has been sent to secretaries of 10 union Ministries, the Railway Board chairperson and chief secretaries and administrators of all states and UTs.
Citing nearly 4.4 lakh crimes against women reported in 2024, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau report published in 2026, the commission observed that growing participation of women in employment and public life had not eliminated concerns over their safety. It noted that insecurity and harassment restricted women’s access to equal opportunities and discouraged their participation in public life.
Flagging complaints of moral policing and resistance faced by survivors at police stations, the NHRC called for Standard Operating Procedures to prevent victim-blaming and ensure sensitive handling of complaints. It recommended time-bound emergency helpline responses, regular patrolling of deserted areas and crime hotspots, and mandatory gender-sensitisation training for police personnel across ranks.
The commission noted that 14,658 of the country’s 16,469 police stations had Women’s Help Desks as of December 2025. It called for functional desks in all remaining stations, regular inspections and periodic checks of emergency helplines, including 112 and 1091.
On infrastructure, the advisory stressed adequate lighting and functional surveillance systems in streets, subways, parking lots, ATMs, bus stands, railway stations and metro stations. It recommended passenger emergency alarm buttons in buses and trains, prominent display of vehicle registration and driver details, and accessible transport and public facilities for women with disabilities.
The commission also called for clean feeding rooms, functional sanitary-pad dispensers and safe transport for women working at night shifts. Employers should ensure proper verification of drivers and security personnel and provide safe transportation home.
Emphasising prevention, the NHRC recommended awareness campaigns on consent, gender equality and respectful conduct in schools, colleges and universities.It also urged educational institutions to encourage self-defence training for girls and women.
The advisory proposed considering legislation on the lines of the Good Samaritan framework to encourage people to safely intervene when crimes against women occur. The Women and Child Development Ministry could develop standardised protocols to guide such interventions.
Calling for better support for survivors, the commission stressed timely medical examinations, psychosocial assistance and coordination among police, hospitals and support services. It called for the explicit discontinuation of the two-finger test in sexual violence cases, which the Supreme Court prohibited in its 2022 judgment in State of Jharkhand v. Shailendra Kumar Rai.
The NHRC also sought ethical media reporting guidelines to protect survivors’ identities, and prevent unauthorised disclosure of investigation details.
Warning against technology-facilitated abuse, the commission called for awareness programmes on deepfakes, doxxing, revenge pornography and non-consensual sharing of explicit content, alongside gender-sensitive reviews of cyber laws and specialised training for law enforcement agencies.
For workplace safety, the NHRC stressed effective implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, including functional Internal and Local Committees, regular employee awareness programmes and submission of enquiry reports to District Officers where required.
It also recommended real-time gender-disaggregated data on violence, periodic audits of existing facilities and mandatory gender audits for major new infrastructure projects. States and UTs were urged to ensure timely and efficient utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund.
The advisory calls for a coordinated approach involving law enforcement agencies, employers, educational institutions, media organisations and government departments to make workplaces and public spaces safer for women.
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Tags: #NHRC seeks sweeping overhaul of women’s safety regulations# flags police failures# workplace gaps
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