India’s fight against crime against women

With Bollywood actress Celina Jaitley filing a case against her Austrian husband Hogg, it has once again become evident that domestic violence can occur across class and nationality, and that the rot runs deeper than imagined. She claimed she has suffered severe emotional, physical, sexual, and verbal abuse by her husband, because of which she was forced to flee her home in Austria and return to India.

This menace has been whetted by the latest United Nations data  which is a  reminder of how deeply violence against women remains embedded across societies. As per the UN data, in 2024 alone, 50,000 women and girls were killed by intimate partners or family members — one every ten minutes. Globally, 137 women lose their lives every day to those closest to them. These numbers, released by UNODC and UN Women, shows the mirror to the societies and nations who claim that gender violence has been controlled.

Back home in India, despite its economic and social advances cannot claim to be different. Female infanticide and gender-based killing in India are for real. In India sex-selective abortions and neglect of girl children, continues through early marriage, dowry-related violence, trafficking, and domestic abuse.

India, home to deep-rooted patriarchal norms and skewed sex ratios in several states, is undeniably a significant contributor to this distressing global statistic. The UN report makes one fact painfully clear: the home remains the most dangerous place for women. In contrast to the global pattern in which only 11 per cent of male homicides are committed by family members, 60 per cent of women’s killing occur within the close confines of homes in India. This points to a larger cultural crisis.

When those who should protect become perpetrators, when honour is weaponised, and when daughters are seen as burdens, violence becomes inevitable.

Decades of policy measures—from the Pre-Conception and ‘Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act’ to Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao—have created awareness but not transformation. Laws exist, yet implementation leave much to be desired. Deep-seated prejudices, economic pressures, dowry systems, and lack of gender-sensitive policing continue to prevent meaningful change. The onslaught of digital media has opened yet another  threat for women. The UN data also highlights a growing threat: digital violence. As UN Women notes, harassment, stalking, and coercion online often escalate offline. In India online abuse is becoming common. Without strong cyber laws, early intervention systems, and trained law-enforcement units,  they often have to bear the brunt in silence.

Time to act is now. India must prioritise early prevention—identifying patterns of control, threats, harassment, and coercion. The state agencies must ensure strict enforcement of existing laws while creating specialised femicide investigation units. 

And most critically, India must invest in girls — through education, health, legal protection, and economic empowerment—because crimes against women thrives where girls have little perceived value.