Women safety: NHRC recommends sensitisation of police personnel to avoid victim-shaming of survivors

The NHRC recommends a broad safety plan covering police stations, public spaces, workplaces, and digital life. Its central idea is prevention plus reliable help after violence occurs. Police should avoid moral judgement, follow clear procedures, patrol dangerous locations, and respond promptly to calls. Women should also learn what sexual harassment means and which legal and reporting options exist.

For example, authorities could display posters and flyers explaining harassment, emergency numbers, legal rights, and the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box. Police stations should use a standard operating procedure for handling survivors. Regular patrols should focus on deserted places at night and known crime hotspots. Awareness programmes should explain cybercrime and portals such as the National Cyber Crime Reporting portal and Sahyog.

The recommendations recognise that violence can happen offline or through technology. They also call for functional Women's Help Desks in every police station. Authorities received the advisory and were asked to submit action taken reports within two months, creating a formal push for implementation.

Victim-shaming means blaming, humiliating, or treating a survivor as responsible for the violence suffered. Moral judgement means evaluating a survivor’s clothing, choices, relationships, or conduct instead of focusing on the alleged offence. The NHRC says survivors often face resistance and moral policing when trying to register complaints. These responses can turn a reporting process into another harmful experience.

For example, if an officer questions a survivor’s character rather than recording the complaint, the survivor may feel disbelieved or exposed. Fear of blame, embarrassment, or hostile treatment can discourage people from reporting gender-based violence. It can also delay access to help and weaken confidence in public institutions. Sensitisation aims to ensure respectful, non-judgmental treatment.

The advisory recommends training police personnel and creating a standard operating procedure for dealing with survivors. Wider awareness and functional Women's Help Desks could make reporting more approachable. Better treatment may help survivors seek assistance sooner and give authorities clearer information about violence in communities.

Women’s Help Desks are intended to assist women in distress at police stations. The NHRC advisory records that 14,658 of the country’s 16,109 police stations had such desks as of December 2025. Subtracting the existing desks from the total leaves 1,451 police stations without one, assuming the figures refer to separate stations and complete national coverage.

The advisory recommends steps to ensure that the remaining police stations also have a functional Women’s Help Desk. A desk is meant to provide a more accessible point of assistance when women seek help. Its value depends on being operational and supported by respectful, trained personnel, not merely on appearing in a list.

The figures show substantial coverage but also a clear gap. Completing the network could give more women a designated place to seek assistance, especially when reporting violence or distress. The broader recommendations also call for standard procedures and police sensitisation, so expansion should be paired with effective service.

A standard procedure could give police a consistent way to receive and handle gender-based violence complaints. Set response times could reduce uncertainty after someone contacts a helpline or requests police assistance. Sensitised officers could avoid moral judgement, while public information could help women recognise harassment and understand their legal rights. Together, these steps address both prevention and response.

For example, posters could list emergency numbers and the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box, while police patrol deserted places at night and known crime hotspots. If a survivor calls for help, a time-bound standard could define how quickly the helpline responds and police arrive. The procedure could also be circulated widely, including on social media, so officers and the public know the expected process.

The likely result would be clearer routes to assistance and greater accountability for delays or poor treatment. Better visibility and information may help prevent some incidents and encourage more reporting. However, the advisory calls on authorities to implement the measures, so the effect depends on follow-through and action taken reports.

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is gender-based abuse carried out or intensified through digital technology. The NHRC cautions that cases have sharply increased in recent years, particularly with artificial intelligence. The advisory names revenge porn, doxxing, non-consensual explicit images or videos, and deepfakes as risks women should understand.

Doxxing can expose someone’s private information, making harassment or threats easier. Revenge porn and non-consensual sharing distribute intimate material without permission. Deepfakes can create or alter realistic images or videos that falsely appear to show a person. These practices can violate privacy, damage reputation, cause distress, and extend abuse to wider audiences through digital sharing.

The advisory recommends sensitising women across age groups about these risks. It also calls for awareness programmes in schools, colleges, universities, and workplaces on cybercrime and grievance mechanisms. The National Cyber Crime Reporting portal and Sahyog portal are identified as existing channels, showing that online abuse requires both prevention knowledge and routes for remedial help.

The advisory identifies several support and reporting options rather than relying on one channel. Women’s Help Desks at police stations are meant to assist women in distress. The National Cyber Crime Reporting portal and Sahyog portal are mentioned for cybercrime-related concerns. The Sexual Harassment Electronic Box is identified as a mechanism for reporting sexual harassment.

For example, a woman facing technology-facilitated abuse could use a cybercrime reporting portal, while someone reporting harassment at work could use the Sexual Harassment Electronic Box. A person needing police assistance could approach a Women’s Help Desk. The article does not detail each portal’s process, so the safest description is that they are existing grievance or reporting mechanisms named in the advisory.

The NHRC recommends public displays of these mechanisms, along with emergency numbers and information about legal rights. Awareness programmes should reach schools, colleges, universities, workplaces, and women across age groups. Making options visible may help survivors choose an appropriate channel and reduce uncertainty about where to seek support.

Laws alone cannot ensure safety if people do not know their rights, institutions respond poorly, or social attitudes excuse harassment. The NHRC says harassment remains pervasive despite stringent laws. It therefore recommends preventive and remedial measures, including awareness, trained police, clear procedures, patrols, and accessible reporting systems. Safety depends on how rules work in daily life.

Social attitudes can influence whether survivors are believed, blamed, or subjected to moral policing. A survivor’s intersectional identities mean that different aspects of identity can overlap and affect her exposure to violence, treatment by authorities, and ability to seek help. The article does not list specific identities, but the NHRC says they should be considered in a comprehensive safety approach.

Changing attitudes requires action in police stations, workplaces, schools, public spaces, and online settings. Information can clarify what constitutes sexual harassment and where to report it. Sensitisation and functional support desks may make institutions more responsive, while the advisory’s requested action reports create a way to track implementation.