NHRC chair flags alarming rate of violence against women in India

NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian revealed that 51 FIRs related to violence against women are filed every hour in India. At a national symposium, experts called for stronger enforcement, gender sensitisation, and societal change to ensure women's safety

Lucknow:  Stressing on women’s safety in public spaces, NHRC Chairperson Justice V Ramasubramanian highlighted that nearly 51 FIRs related to violence against women are registered in the country every hour, an official said on Sunday.

Addressing a symposium on ‘Women’s Safety at Work and Public Spaces’ here, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chief also reflected on the contrast between India’s cultural reverence for goddesses and the grim reality of violence against women, said the official.

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Justice Ramasubramanian called for enhanced awareness, stronger enforcement mechanisms and systemic changes to ensure their safety and dignity. He recalled the protracted struggle behind the enactment of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013.

The event brought together experts to discuss strategies to check rising incidents of crimes against women in both professional environments and public domains across the country were in focus during the event organised by the NHRC, said an official statement.

The symposium was organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in collaboration with the Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Lucknow, on Saturday. The event marked the second national symposium on this critical subject, following the inaugural symposium held on September 9, 2024.

The initiative comes in the wake of rising incidents of crimes against women in both professional environments and public domains across the country.

NHRC Joint Secretary Saidingpuii Chhakchhuak explained the necessity of organising the symposium, sharing personal experiences to highlight how, despite comprehensive legal frameworks, incidents of gender-based violence are reported almost daily.

SK Chowdhury, University of Lucknow, said that awareness alone is insufficient to tackle crimes against women.

He suggested that people must also have the confidence to report crimes. He called for structural adjustments in society and stressed the need to foster a culture of human rights that translates into everyday behaviour.

SM Patnaik, Director, Centre for Tribal Studies and Head, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, offered a socio-anthropological perspective on harassment in public spaces. He discussed how patriarchy and anonymity reinforce gendered violence.

Quoting Carl Sagan- “Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”, he cautioned against assuming that lack of data indicates the problem has subsided. Patnaik called for empathy, gender sensitisation from a young age and the creation of support systems for women.

P.K. Gupta, Associate Professor at the University of Lucknow, brought attention to the prevalence of domestic crimes against women. He highlighted the need to address behavioural patterns at the individual level, emphasising that change must begin within the household to make a broader societal impact.