The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has issued an Advisory on ‘Women’s Safety at Work and Public Spaces’. About NHRC The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), established under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, serves as a statutory guardian of human rights, entrusted with the responsibility of protecting and promoting the dignity of all individuals. As part of its mandate, the Commission regularly issues advisories to appropriate authorities with a view to strengthening institutional responses and advancing the protection of rights, especially of marginalised and vulnerable communities. Within this broader mandate, the issues pertaining to women's safety remain a priority area for the Commission. As per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report published in 2026, nearly 4.4 lakh cases of crimes against women were reported in 2024, encompassing offences such as murder, rape, assault and sexual harassment. These figures underscore the persistent challenges in ensuring the safety and security of women and highlight the need for sustained and concerted efforts. Women's safety mustbe understood to extend beyond their immediate physical security, as it is a fundamental prerequisite for their meaningful participation in the workforce and society, and is intrinsically linked to their constitutional rights to equality, justice and equal opportunity. The NHRC acknowledges that women’s safety is vital to ensure their constitutional entitlement to justice and equal opportunities. It further notes that safety at workplaces and public spaces is an essential condition to enable women to participate fully in the workforce and realise their full potential. Overview of the advisory The NHRC Advisory focuses on eight key areas. These include raising awareness on topics of women’s safety and sexual harassment, infrastructure, encouraging bystander intervention, the role of the police, survivor support, cybercrime against women, long-term reforms and other measures. Raising Awareness on Topics of Women's Safety and Sexual Harassment A major issue around the topic of women's safety is the lack of awareness regarding what constitutes sexual harassment and what needs to be done once such an Incident has happened. It is recommended to take steps to display targeted posters/flyers and other informational materials in public spaces and the workplace to Inform women what constitutes harassment, their legal rights, as well as all emergency numbers and existing mechanisms such as SHe-Box for reporting the crime. There is increasing evidence to suggest that interventions at the school level help shape long-term attitudes. The Directorate of Education may take steps to issue guidelines to ensure that the school syllabus includes topics like gender sensitisation, consent, challenging existing notions of masculinity, and legal rights, and especially Acts like POCSO. All educational institutes, including schools, colleges, and universities, may be encouraged to regularly organise gender sensitisation programmes for pupils across all age groups to increase sensitivity and familiarise students with topics like gender-based discrimination, stereotypes, consensual and respectful conduct towards others, etc. A visible, mass campaign over a sustained period, targeted at evolving social norms, especially conduct towards women, explaining the idea of consent, may be initiated. Different media like television, radio, and the internet may be used to widen the campaign's reach. The campaign may also be translated into regional languages to Increase its impact. Periodic community-level engagement through RWAS, SHGs, trade unions, etc., will help take this issue beyond conventional institutional spaces and help the government understand the ground realities, including gaps in existing policies and their implementation. It would be beneficial to involve men, especially young boys, in matters like gender sensitisation, instead of making it a women-specific issue. This may be done by developing age-appropriate curricula and modules and circulating them periodically In schools, colleges, and workplaces. Emergency response mobile applications like the 112 app, India's Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs, should be popularised through awareness campaigns, posters, and billboards. Steps may also be taken to raise awareness about One Stop Centres and NCW's Her Legal Guide mobile application so that women are aware of their legal rights and existing support systems when faced with violence. Infrastructure Steps should be taken to ensure that workplaces and public spaces are designed in a way that addresses the needs of women. This includes well-lit corridors and functional, clean, and hygienic washrooms for women in public buildings and on the road. Regular inspections of lights and emergency buttons must be undertaken. Steps should be taken to ensure proper lighting for corridors in buildings, subways, washrooms, public bus stands, parking lots, ATMs, roads, railway stations, and metro stations, as these are often areas where women feel the most vulnerable, especially at night. Functional CCTV cameras should be installed in all workplaces as well as in public locations. Existing CCTV cameras are often not operational; therefore, regular Inspection of these cameras must be undertaken by local authoritles.. As in the case of the Delhi Metro, passenger emergency alarm buttons may be made available in buses and other forms of public transport like trains. Details of the driver, vehicle number, license number, as well as emergency response numbers may be displayed prominently in buses and cabs. The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways may consider Issuing a directive in this regard to all public road transport corporations and privately-run buses and cab services. To make sure that the workplace and public spaces remain inclusive for women, it is recommended to ensure that operational and fully stacked sanitary pad dispensers are available in all female washrooms, including and especially in railway stations, bus stands, metro stations, and all airports across the country. Care must also be taken to ensure that clean, safe, and functional feeding rooms are also available in these places. Women with disabilities face greater risks when they step out in public spaces. It is recommended to ensure that facilities like washrooms, and means of public transport are accessible to them and cater to their needs. Appropriate signage and markers should be present in all places. It would also be beneficial to consult with disability organisations while designing Infrastructure. Encouraging Bystander Intervention A major issue regarding crime in India, particularly crime against women, has been the lack of support from bystanders, who are often unwilling or afraid to intervene. A law along the lines of the "Good Samaritan Law" of 2016 may be considered for increasing interventions when crimes against women (or suspicion of crime against women) are taking place, especially in public spaces. Bystanders are often not aware of the right way of intervening during violence. Steps may be taken to educate ordinary people about what they can do to stop these crimes, through the medium of pamphlets, posters, social media campaigns, and advertisements on radio and television. For this purpose, the Ministry of Women and Child Development may consider developing standardised bystander Intervention protocols and take steps for their wide circulation across multiple platforms. Role of the Police Survivors of gender-based violence often report facing resistance and moral policing in police stations when they try to register their complaints. It is recommended that police personnel be adequately sensitised to avoid making moral judgements and victim-blaming. To address this, the nodal ministry may consider developing a Standard Operating Procedure clearly mentioning protocols for dealing with victims of gender-based violence and circulate the same widely, including on social media. It is also recommended to develop time-bound response standards for helplines and police arrival in case of violence in public spaces. Police officers may undertake regular patrolling, especially in places that are deserted during the night and/or are crime hotspots. As of December 2025, 14,658 out of 16,469 police stations (89%) in the country have a Women's Help Desk (Ministry of Home Affairs). It is recommended that steps may be taken to ensure that the remaining police stations also have a functional