Lok Sabha Question No. 4456 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-19
Subject: Security to the Working Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Manoj Kumar Tiwari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4456

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.07.2019

## SECURITY TO THE WORKING WOMEN

## +4456.    SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the steps taken by the Government for the safety and security of working women so as to ensure their safe passage from residence to workplace and back;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  proposed  amendments  in  the  criminal  law  to  provide quicker  trials  and  enhance  punishments  for  criminals  to  ensure  safety  and  security  of women;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the measures taken by the State Governments to ensure safety of women during the last four years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

- (a):     Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the Constitution of India. The responsibility of maintaining law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens rests with the respective State  Governments.  The  State Governments  are  competent  to  deal  with  such  offences  under  the  extant  provisions  of laws.  However,  safety  and  security  of  women  and  children  in  the  country  is  of  utmost priority for the Government of India.

The Government of India enacted 'The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013' in which a workplace is defined as 'any place visited by the employee arising out of or during the course of employment, including transportation provided by the employer for undertaking such a journey.'

Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), which provides a single emergency number (112) based computer aided dispatch of field resources to the location of distress has been operationalized in 20 States/UTs in 2018-19.

To  address  the  issues  of  women safety  including  in  public  spaces  and  public transport,  Government  of  India  has approved  pilot  Safe  City  projects  in  eight  selected metropolitan cities, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai under Nirbhaya Fund.

Ministry  of  Road  Transport  and  Highways  has  issued  notification  vide  GSR  No. 1095(E) dated 28.11.2016 whereby Central Government has mandated the provision of vehicle  location  device  and  one  or  more  panic  button  in  public  transport  vehicles  w.e.f. 1 st  April, 2018.

- (b) &  (c):  The  Criminal  Law  (Amendment),  Act  2013  was  enacted  for  effective  legal deterrence  against  sexual  offences.  Further,  the  Criminal  Law  (Amendment)  Act,  2018 was enacted to prescribe even more stringent penal provisions including death penalty for rape of a girl below the age of 12 years. The Act also inter-alia mandates completion of investigation and trials within 2 months each.
- (d):    Since  Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects,  hence,  besides  their  own  schemes and initiatives,  State  Governments  also  implement  the  various  laws  pertaining  to  safety and security of women as well the centrally sponsored scheme such as 'One Stop Centre Scheme', 'Universalisation of Women Helpline Scheme', 'Mahila Police Volunteer Scheme' and  various  other  projects  under  Nirbhaya  Fund  Framework  which  receive  the  funding support from the Government of India.

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