Strengthening the implementation of laws that address violence against women

About the project

The Constitution of India protects the rights of women and all vulnerable sections of the society and also promotes equality of status and opportunity for all. Article 14 states that all citizens are equal before the law and will have equal protection under the law. In recognition of the constitution and the need to address violence against women, the Government of India took steps to reform existing laws and policies. This led to the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2013, under which the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Evidence Act were amended. These and other amendments expanded the definition of rape and added stalking, spying and acid attacks to a list of specific crimes against women. Police who turn a blind eye or commit assaults themselves now also face jail time.

However, despite these amendments and the creation of the Nirbhaya Fund in 2013 to ensure women’s safety, statistics released by the National Crime Records Bureau in 2017 suggest the overall number of violent crimes against women has risen, increasing by 13% in the years between 2015 and 2018.

This project will work with civil society and government for the effective implementation of the Criminal Law Amendment Act. The project will be implemented at the national level and in five states that record-high rates of violence against women: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.

This will be achieved by:

• establishing a national, multi-stakeholder coalition of civil society organisations (CBOs), community-based organisations (CBOs), and survivors working on violence against women; the capacity of the coalition will be built so it can conduct public campaigns and advocate with policymakers and other actors as well as monitor the implementation of the Act
• producing annual status reports to identify implementation gaps and make recommendations including rehabilitation services for survivors of gender-based violence
• enabling the platform to advocate with policymakers, Cabinet Ministers, State Chief Ministers and others for the effective implementation of the Act
• sensitising state actors so they can effectively implement the Act including the Judiciary, Police, Health, Public Prosecution and Women and Child Development departments as well as public and private lawyers
• raising public awareness and understanding of violence against women