Laws and Policies for Women’s Protection: A Step Forward or Just Words on Paper?

“A society’s progress is measured by the safety of its women.”

-Anonymous

Despite having designed multiple laws for the protection of women, our country still lags behind in the implementation and preservation of said laws. Millions of women across the country continue to live in constant terror of violence and harassment. Is carrying a weapon everywhere we go ‘just in case’ there is a situation we need to protect ourselves from really the norm now? Isn’t it the responsibility of the Indian Government to impose and establish laws and to make sure that they are followed?

Laws like The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 have been labelled as ‘development’ and ‘a step forward’ yet thousands of women still feel unsafe and fail to attain justice. So, are these laws truly safeguarding women or are they simply empty promises on paper?

Historically, the laws and policies were either completely silent on women’s issues or downright discriminatory. If we compare former times to the present, there has certainly been quite a lot of development but maybe it is time to pause and reconsider; is progress and development enough if women continually have to live with fear? I strongly believe that it is necessary for the general public as well as the Indian government to understand and analyze India’s legal policies for women’s protection and their shortcomings in order to address these challenges and find a solution.

Sexual harassment remains a pervasive issue in India, affecting women from all walks of life. Despite having multiple laws and articles against rape, many women who choose to speak up about their dreadful experiences fail to get justice and so many of them don’t live long enough to share their side of the story.

One particularly harrowing case is the recent Kolkata rape-murder case where a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee doctor was brutally assaulted, raped and murdered within the premises of her college building which shook the nation. Protests and rallies were held by the public to fight for justice; however, the West Bengal government, instead of trying to help, chose to keep silent. Ironically, the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee showed up to and joined one of the rallies rather than taking action against these atrocities.

People often say to women “Don’t go out at night, it’s unsafe.” “Don’t wear that, it’s too revealing.” but maybe it’s time to finally understand that it’s not the outfit, the time, the place or the victim to blame because she was working at the hospital in work appropriate clothes when this incident took place. This crime exemplified the grim reality of how sexual harassment and violence can reach even those in supposedly safe and professional environments.

This case is not an isolated incident. India has seen countless reports of rape, assault and sexual harassment over the years. Some high profile cases like the 2012 gang rape case (commonly referred to as Nirbhaya case) had widespread public protests yet there are still multiple cases that go unreported or have been erased. In India, victim blaming and societal pressure on women to remain silent is very common. This deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset in many regions of India often discourages women from speaking up. Additionally, the legal process for seeking justice is often cumbersome, with low conviction rates and delayed trials. Furthermore, in many cases, victims face harassment and intimidation during investigations and trials which demoralizes others from coming forward.

While the Indian government has put forward a wide range of provisions and laws for women in India that safeguard their rights against criminal offenses, family issues, etc., certain obstacles still persist in implementing said laws. These challenges not only include weak enforcement mechanisms but also lack of awareness and societal norms. In conclusion, I believe that it’s our duty as the citizens of this nation to spread awareness about such matters and advocate for change. Nonetheless, it is also the responsibility of the government to step up their efforts to ensure that these laws are enforced properly. Only through collective responsibility can we bring about a real change towards the protection of women in India.

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