The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Tuesday issued an advisory on women's safety at workplaces and in public spaces, calling for action across eight key areas and seeking action-taken reports from the authorities within two months, IANS reported.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

The advisory, titled 'Women's Safety at Work and Public Spaces', has been sent to the Secretaries of 10 Union Ministries, the Chairperson of the Railway Board and the Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all states and Union Territories, the NHRC said.

The ministries covered 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, according to India Legal's report of the advisory.

Source: India Legal

Eight areas of action

The advisory focuses on eight key areas: raising awareness about 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 Commission observed that despite stringent laws to protect women's rights, their safety at workplaces and public spaces remains a concern. It cited the Periodic Labour Force Survey figure of women's labour-force participation at 34.6 per cent in September 2026, alongside about 4.4 lakh reported cases of crimes against women in the latest National Crime Records Bureau report published in 2026.

The NHRC said women's safety is vital to their constitutional entitlement to justice and equal opportunities, and that safety at work and in public spaces is an essential condition for women to participate fully in the workforce. It urged all authorities concerned to implement the recommendations and furnish an Action Taken Report within two months.