Human Rights Commission issues an advisory on women's safety at work and in public spaces

27 October 2026

The National Human Rights Commission has sent an advisory on the safety of women at workplaces and in public spaces to the secretaries of ten Union ministries, the Chairperson of the Railway Board, and the chief secretaries and administrators of all states and union territories. The advisory is organised under eight heads: awareness on sexual harassment, infrastructure, bystander intervention, the role of the police, support for survivors, cybercrime against women, long-term reforms, and other measures. Every recipient has been asked to act on it and send an Action Taken Report within two months. The Commission framed the advisory against two figures: women's labour force participation of 34.6 per cent in September 2026, and about 4.4 lakh crimes against women in the latest report of the National Crime Records Bureau. The ministries addressed include Women and Child Development, Home Affairs, Labour and Employment, Road Transport and Highways, and Health and Family Welfare.