The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in collaboration with the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Lucknow, successfully organised a National Symposium on ‘Women’s Safety at Work and Public Spaces’ on 26th July, 2025. 

This marked the second national symposium on this critical subject, following the inaugural symposium held on 9th September, 2024. The initiative comes in the wake of rising incidents of crimes against women in both professional environments and public domains across the country.

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Some of the major recommendations emanating from the Symposium are:

1. There needs to be a concerted and targeted effort to address the issue of women’s safety on all three fronts of policy-making, implementation and raising awareness.

2. There is a need for inclusion of the informal sector in conversations about women’s safety and the need for targeted awareness campaigns especially in the informal sector.

3. There is a need for sensitisation at the individual and family level so that there is a transformation of attitudes towards women’s safety at work and in public spaces.

4. It is recommended that the state ensure creation of inclusionary spaces for women, especially in decision-making bodies, so that structural transformations can be brought about.

5. It is recommended that educational institutions take proactive steps to ensure that students are made sensitive to various gender-related issues, as well as aware of how to conduct themselves in situations involving the opposite sex.

The NHRC, India reaffirmed its commitment to addressing gender-based violence and strengthening collaborative efforts across institutions to create safer, more inclusive public and professional spaces for women.