Despite rapid urban development and the rollout of safety initiatives, concerns about women’s security in Indian cities remain significant. The National Annual Report and Index on Women’s Safety (NARI) 2025, released on Thursday by the National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, shows that 40 per cent of women still feel unsafe, and only one-third of harassment cases are reported.
The nationwide survey covered 12,770 women across 31 cities and gave India an overall safety score of 65 per cent. Cities like Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai ranked among the safest, while Patna, Jaipur, Faridabad, Delhi, Kolkata, Srinagar and Ranchi were flagged as the least safe for women.
Key Findings of the NARI 2025 Report
Perception of Safety: 60% of respondents said they felt secure in their city, but 40% reported feeling unsafe.
Day vs Night Gap: Confidence in safety was high during the day in schools and colleges (86%), but dropped drastically after dark.
Workplace Environment: 91% of women said they felt safe at work, yet half admitted they were unaware of workplace POSH guidelines.
Harassment Data: 7% of all women reported public harassment in 2024, with the rate doubling to 14% for women under 24.
Hotspots: Neighbourhoods (38%) and public transport (29%) emerged as the most common areas where harassment occurred.
Underreporting: Only 1 in 3 incidents were actually reported to authorities.
Trust in Institutions: Just 25% of women expressed confidence in police and officials to act on complaints.
Why Some Cities Are Safer
The report linked higher safety scores to factors such as effective policing, gender-sensitive city planning, civic engagement, and responsive governance. In contrast, weaker infrastructure and deep-rooted patriarchal norms were seen as contributing factors in less safe cities.
Releasing the findings, NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar credited growing infrastructure like CCTV networks, women’s helplines, and gender-diverse recruitment in public roles as positive steps but emphasized that safety cannot be solved by infrastructure alone.
