Criminal Incidence: The Scale No One Can Ignore

Official figures from India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) show that 445,256 incidents of crimes against women were reported nationally in 2022, an alarming increase from the previous year. These crimes encompass domestic violence, sexual assault, dowry harassment, kidnapping, and murder. The most frequently documented offense: cruelty by husbands or relatives (over 140,000 cases). Rape is another grim category, with 31,516 reported incidents. Assault with intent to outrage modesty hovers at more than 83,000 cases nationally.^[1][2]

Nearly one-third of women aged 18–49 in India admit to having experienced domestic abuse in their lifetimes, a figure confirmed in both the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) and recent academic research. These findings, aided by improved reporting mechanisms, reveal not just the prevalence but the social normalization of violence against women.^[2][3][4][1]

Geography of Violence

The burden of violence falls more heavily on some states and cities than others. Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh consistently top the list for crime volume and intensity. Delhi remains infamous for per capita rates, underscoring that urbanization and economic advancement do not guarantee women’s safety.^[1][2]

In Uttar Pradesh—the state contributing nearly 15 percent of all GBV cases—the legislative and executive branches routinely fail women. Less than 4% of the vital Nirbhaya Fund, earmarked for women’s protection, has been utilized, even as politicians pay lip service to women’s safety while perpetuating regressive attitudes in public and policy.^[1]

Social Determinants and Discriminatory Layers

Gender-based violence in India is neither uniform nor isolated from broader social fractures. Caste and religion make Dalit and Adivasi women, along with religious minorities, particularly vulnerable—Dalit women face a conviction rate for rape at just 2% compared to the already-low national average of 25%. This points to entrenched impunity and profound system neglect. Their labor and suffering are chronically erased from narratives; almost 98% of manual scavengers are women from oppressed castes.^[1]

Violence rooted in patriarchy is so endemic that 49% of survey respondents in 2025 said men and women face violence equally, a dangerous misconception that undermines the severity and specificity of women’s experience. Instead, facts show the overwhelming majority of crimes against women are perpetrated by men in domestic and community contexts.^[2]

Reporting, Stigma, and New Threats

Despite growing awareness, much gender-based violence goes unreported. Stigma, fear of reprisal, lack of economic independence, and social ostracisation silence survivors. On the other side, digital advances—while aiding some survivors—introduce new problems. A recent Asia-Pacific report revealed that 76% of women parliamentarians have faced psychological violence online, while 60% have experienced direct threats through social media platforms.^[5]

Child marriage also persists at a rate of 23%, adding another layer to the matrix of control and violence imposed on women, especially in rural India.^[3]

Government and Institutional Responses

India has, in recent years, expanded the legislative toolkit against gender violence. The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023) increased sentences for sexual offenses and broadened definitions, while the government rolled out One-Stop Centres, Women Helplines (181), and Emergency Response Systems across the country. The Nirbhaya Fund and special Fast-Track Courts are designed to improve survivor access to justice and speed up trials.^[6][2][1]

Yet, the disconnect between policy and practice is glaring. States with the highest GBV rates remain reluctant or slow to utilize central funds for women’s protection. Trials for high-profile cases last for years; conviction rates stay stagnant; perpetrator impunity remains the norm, not the exception.^[1]

The Cost of Inaction: Personal and National

Economic advances and social mobility for women are hindered by violence. India’s youth female literacy rate is now 96% and labour force participation stands at 45%, milestones reached over decades. But every act of violence robs these gains of their value and meaning, forcing many to abandon work, education, or public life altogether.^[2]

Married women are expected to rely on husbands, and divorces or widowhood leave women financially dependent on family members who may themselves be abusers. In rural areas, widowhood can make women burdens to their families, further restricting their autonomy.^[2]

Fact-Driven Solutions Must Replace Rhetoric

The facts underscore an urgent need for more than symbolic reform. Real change requires:

• Mandatory gender sensitization in schools and workplaces. Education must break the cycle of normalized violence early, bolstered by evidence-based curriculum and teacher training.^[2][1]
• Universal, accessible support infrastructure. One-Stop Centres and Helplines should be boosted with more funding and staff to address the needs of survivors with trauma-informed care.^[6]
• Justice reforms to improve conviction rates and reduce trial length. Fast-track courts must operate at full capacity, with police and judicial actors held accountable for delays and failures.^[1][2]
• Economic empowerment for women. Policies should enable survivors to pursue education and find employment, reducing financial dependency.^[2]
• Technology for protection, not exploitation. Law enforcement must adapt rapidly to new digital threats, training officers in cybercrime and prioritizing online safety, especially for women in public life.^[5]

Responsibility of Leaders and Society

Elected officials and civil society have a unique responsibility. Leaders must reject platitudes and manifest real intent—by allocating resources quickly, measuring outcomes honestly, and enforcing laws without bias. Civil society should amplify survivor voices, ensuring stories do not disappear behind statistics.^[1]

Conclusion: Confronting the Crisis with Facts

India’s gender-based violence crisis is not a mystery lacking solutions: it is a test of national will and honesty. Facts alone lay bare the limitations of silence and lip service. Only when the country commits fully to fact-driven progress—spanning education, justice, economics, and social attitudes—can cycles of violence be broken.

In this task, editorializing is a call not merely for outrage but for remedy. Women’s safety, dignity, and freedom cannot wait. The facts demand it, and so must our laws, leaders, and communities.^[5][2][1]

(The author is an Indian writer and economist, author of three books)

1. https://cjp.org.in/mapping-gender-based-violence-in-india-trends-determinants-and-institutional-frameworks/
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/india-country-policy-and-information-notes/country-policy-and-information-note-women-fearing-gender-based-violence-india-august-2025-accessible
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11932463/
4. https://ijmr.org.in/violence-against-women-in-india-comprehensive-care-for-survivors/
5. https://www.ipu.org/news/press-releases/2025-03/60-women-mps-asia-pacific-report-online-gender-based-violence
6. https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/specificdocs/documents/2025/mar/doc2025329529701.pdf
7. https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-25-2019/volume-25-issue-4/gender-based-violence-in-new-delhi-india-forecast-based-on-secondary-data-analysis.html
8. https://www.mospi.gov.in/publication/women-men-india-2024-selected-indicators-and-data
9. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2116557
10. https://data.unwomen.org/global-database-on-violence-against-women
11. https://www.isdm.org.in/blog/its-womens-day-but-on-ground-little-has-changed

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A few days ago, a veterinary doctor was gang-raped, smothered and her body burned in Hyderabad. The last communication was with her sister, who she had called on finding out that her scooter had a flat tire. Everyone is outraged about this incident as it reminds us of Nirbhaya, who was gang-raped almost seven years ago in Delhi.

These incidents amongst many are a reason for the annual International campaign: 16 Days of Activism to end Gender-Based Violence. Everyday millions of girls and women are subject to all kinds of violence making it a global pandemic. It is ironic that this year’s focus of the campaign is “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”

Teachers and parents must be able to talk to children about rights, consent, respect for each other and build confidence to report violations and fight back.

The UN says violence against women and girls is one of the “most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today.” Approximately 87,000 women and girls were murdered around the world in 2017, most often by someone close to them. It remains largely unreported because of issues including impunity and stigma. In India, even the highly under-reported numbers estimate that every 15 minutes a woman is raped. So it is no wonder that last year the Thomson Reuters perception survey listed India as the most dangerous country in the world for women.

Unlike other nations where people are out protesting on streets objecting to violence, in India we are operating as though it is business as usual. The Home Minister of Telangana state actually put the blame on the victim stating she should have called the emergency number 100 instead of her sister. Twitter is abuzz with people demanding for the death penalty for the rapists and stricter laws on sexual violence. As a country we have the death penalty and strict laws, but it does not seem to deter the perpetrators.

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