New Delhi, Aug 28 (UNI) While many metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Kolkata and Jaipur compete to be the best Smart City in the country, a new report released today here has revealed a disturbing truth—most of these have failed to ensure women’s safety in public spaces.
According to the first-ever National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety (NARI 2025), over 40 per cent of women residing in urban areas feel “not so safe” or “unsafe” in their cities. Concerns over safety notably increase at night due to inadequate street lighting and lack of visible security measures.
The report, based on the perception of the women hailing from various walks of life, highlights widespread harassment faced by them in public spaces, including staring, catcalling, lewd remarks, and physical contact. These incidents have had a severe impact, with many female students dropping out of school and working women quitting their jobs for safety reasons.
The study, conducted across 31 cities covering all states, is based on the responses of 12,770 women and aims to provide a data-driven framework to improve women’s safety beyond mere crime statistics.
Seven per cent of respondents reported experiencing harassment in 2024, with the highest vulnerability among young women aged 18-24. This figure is significantly higher than the 0.07 per cent of cases recorded in the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2022 data, underscoring the vast under-reporting of such crimes.
Also, just 25% expressed high confidence that authorities would act effectively on safety concerns, while over 30% noted significant gaps or failure in ensuring safety. Major disparities existed by age, with younger women and students, especially those aged 18-24, reporting higher uncertainty and vulnerability.
Among cities ranked least safe for women are Ranchi, Srinagar, Kolkata, Delhi, Faridabad, Patna, and Jaipur. On the other hand, Kohima, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar, and Mumbai are considered relatively safer.
The report also points to infrastructural inadequacies such as poor lighting and inefficient public transport as factors contributing to women’s sense of insecurity. Moreover, societal attitudes that often blame victims for harassment further exacerbate the problem.
Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW), who unveiled the study, emphasised, “Our priority is to ensure that every woman feels safe at home, at work, in public places, and online. This report captures the real voices of women and will help policymakers and institutions create safer and more supportive spaces across the country.”
Speaking on the various measures undertaken by the NCW to ensure comprehensive safety for women, Rahatkar emphasised, “Without the empowerment of women, the vision of Viksit Bharat cannot be realised.”
Dr Seema Singh, Assistant Professor at the Campus Law Centre, Delhi University, emphasised the need for comprehensive legislation across all sectors to ensure empowerment of women, rather than limiting focus to public spaces alone. She stressed that instead of modelling laws on Western frameworks, India should harness the strengths of its own society to promote gender equity. At the same time, Dr Monika Arora, a Supreme Court lawyer, expressed the view that it is high time for women to assert their rightful position in society, as they have historically done.
Prahallad Rout, Managing Director of Pvalue Analytics, the brain behind the study, noted that NARI 2025 fills critical gaps left by official statistics by highlighting unreported harassment and providing context to women’s daily experiences.
For instance, he said, only 22 per cent of harassment cases are reported to authorities, and action is taken in merely 16 per cent of those cases.
The report also reveals that 53 per cent of women are unaware if their workplaces have a Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy in place.
The NARI 2025 report will serve as an annual benchmark to help policymakers, governments, corporations, and civil society work towards creating safer and more inclusive cities for women, Rout added.
The key indicators measured in the study included overall city safety, infrastructure, incidence and reporting of harassment, domain-wise safety (neighbourhood, transport, education, work, health, recreation and online) and confidence in authorities, among others.
