New Delhi, Oct 27: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has issued an Advisory on ‘Women’s Safety at Work and Public Spaces’ to the Secretaries of ten Union Ministries, the Chairperson, Railway Board and the Chief Secretaries/ Administrators of all States and Union Territories.
The NHRC notes that despite the existence of stringent laws to protect the rights of women, their safety at workplaces and public spaces remains a concern. As per the recent Periodic Labour Force Participation Survey in India, women’s participation in the labour force stood at 34.6% in September 2026.
However, about 4.4 lakh cases of crimes against women were also reported, as per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report published in 2026. These figures underscore the persistent challenges in ensuring the safety and security of women and highlight the need for sustained and concerted efforts.
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.
Besides the Railway Board, the Union Ministries to whom the Advisory has been sent include Women and Child Development, Education, Home Affairs, Information and Broadcasting, Labour and Employment, Corporate Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, Housing and Urban Affairs and Health and Family Welfare.
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. The detailed Advisory may be accessed at: View
The NHRC urges all authorities concerned to implement the recommendations in the Advisory and furnish an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two months to keep it informed of the progress made.
