Background
The Nirbhaya Fund was established as a dedicated financial mechanism for schemes aimed at improving women’s safety.
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) created a statutory framework for preventing and addressing sexual harassment at workplaces.
According to the figures provided, ₹7,712.85 crore was allocated under the Nirbhaya Fund over a decade, of which ₹5,846.08 crore was utilised.
Various initiatives have included women’s help desks at police stations, fast-track courts and gender-sensitive urban interventions.
Several cities have also experimented with gender-sensitive safety audits of streets, transport systems and public spaces.
However, the existence of schemes does not automatically ensure that identified safety risks are rectified in a timely and accountable manner.
Features
Dedicated financing: The Nirbhaya Fund provides a specific financial channel for women’s safety initiatives.
Institutional mechanisms: Women’s help desks and specialised courts seek to improve access to policing and justice.
Safety audits: Public spaces can be assessed for risks such as inadequate lighting, poor visibility and unsafe pedestrian infrastructure.
Gender-sensitive mobility: Schemes such as free or subsidised public transport can improve women’s access to education, employment and other opportunities.
Women’s participation: Increasing women's representation among police personnel, drivers, conductors and other public-facing workers can increase their visibility and participation in public spaces.
Urban-design dimension: Women’s safety is not solely a policing issue; lighting, transport, street design, public toilets and last-mile connectivity also matter.
Challenges
Input-based monitoring: Governments may measure funds released, projects completed or audits conducted rather than whether actual safety conditions improved.
Weak accountability: Safety audits have limited value if agencies are not responsible for implementing and reporting corrective measures.
Fragmented governance: Transport, policing, municipal infrastructure and parks may fall under different authorities, making responsibility for safety gaps unclear.
Unsafe last-mile connectivity: Free or subsidised transport cannot fully address risks encountered while walking to or waiting for public transport.
Low representation of women: Women remain underrepresented in police and several public-facing occupations.
Infrastructure gaps: Poor lighting, isolated areas, inadequate surveillance and poorly designed transport infrastructure can increase vulnerability.
Limited outcome measurement: Greater spending does not necessarily demonstrate greater freedom of movement or improved perceptions of safety.
Way Forward
Outcome-based funding: Nirbhaya Fund programmes should increasingly be evaluated through measurable outcomes such as safety risks resolved, response times and accessibility of grievance mechanisms.
Public safety dashboards: Urban authorities can publish audit findings, responsible agencies, deadlines and the status of corrective action.
Single-point accountability: Each identified safety risk should have a clearly designated agency responsible for its resolution.
Gender-responsive urban planning: Lighting, pedestrian infrastructure, bus stops, public toilets and last-mile connectivity should incorporate women's safety concerns from the design stage.
Increase women’s workforce participation: Recruitment norms that unnecessarily exclude women should be reviewed, while ensuring that legitimate occupational and safety requirements are retained.
Strengthen women police recruitment: States can establish annual recruitment targets and improve working conditions, accommodation and career progression for women personnel.
Measure freedom of movement: Policy evaluation should examine whether women can travel, work, study and use public spaces safely and independently, rather than relying only on expenditure figures.
Conclusion
The post-2012 model has established money, regulations, and institutions, but their mere presence does not necessarily make public spaces safer. The subsequent phase of policies to ensure women’s safety needs to shift from “money spent and audits performed” to “risks identified, risks eliminated and responsibility assigned.” Proper implementation and results, response of public infrastructure, and increased involvement of women in public roles can facilitate this process.
