Going beyond the reported crime stats, a national index on women safety has found that as many as 40% of women in India's urban areas feel "not so safe" or "unsafe".
The National Annual Report and Index on Women's Safety, NARI 2025, is based on views of 12,770 women across 31 cities covering all states.
It reported that 7% of women said they faced harassment in 2024, with those aged 18-24 highest at risk. This is 100 times the figure of reported cases of crime against women as per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of 2022.
The harassment included staring, catcalling, lewd comments, and touching, on the streets. Inadequate infrastructure, poor lighting, and inefficient public transport were blamed.
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Among the cities covered, Kolkata and Delhi were among those ranked as the least safe cities for women in India; it also included Ranchi, Srinagar and Faridabad, among others.
{{/usCountry}}Among the cities covered, Kolkata and Delhi were among those ranked as the least safe cities for women in India; it also included Ranchi, Srinagar and Faridabad, among others.
{{/usCountry}}Mumbai was considered among the safest, as were Kohima, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok and Itanagar.
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The NARI 2025 report said it seeks to cover what the official numbers are unable to — unreported harassment, context and daily experiences that mirror the lived reality, not just a count of cases.
As to why some crime remains unreported, it said women fear further harassment or social stigma.
It said only 22 per cent of the women surveyed reported their experiences to authorities.
Also, 53% of the women were unclear if their workplace has a Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy that's mandated by law.
Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, chairperson of the National Commission for Women, launched the report, done by Pvalue Analytics and published by the Group of Intellectuals and Academicians (GIA).
“The launch of NARI 2023 is a step forward in understanding the safety concerns of women in our cities. At the National Commission for Women, our priority is to ensure that every woman feels safe at home, at work, in public places and online," Rahatkar said at the launch event in Delhi.
"We hope these findings will guide governments, corporates and communities to take focused steps to improve women's safety in line with the Prime Minister's vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’, " said Prahallad Rout, MD, Pvalue Analytics.