Women's Rights & Safety

Unwelcome sexual advances, inappropriate remarks, or a hostile environment created by a colleague or superior.

The POSH Act, 2013 requires every workplace with 10+ employees to have an Internal Committee (IC). Complaints must be filed within 3 months (extendable), and the IC must complete its inquiry within 90 days. You can also request interim relief — transfer of the accused, or leave for yourself — while the inquiry is ongoing.

1. File a written complaint with the Internal Committee (or the Local Committee if your workplace has under 10 employees, or the complaint is against the employer).
2. Keep records — emails, messages, and names of witnesses.
3. Request interim relief if you don't feel safe continuing to work near the accused.
4. If there's no IC (illegal for a workplace that size) or it mishandles the case, complain to the District Officer/Labour Commissioner, or go directly to police/court for conduct that's also a crime (assault, stalking).

Abuse from a spouse, partner, or family member within a shared household.

The PWDVA, 2005 lets you get help from a Protection Officer, and apply for a Protection Order (stops further violence/contact), a Residence Order (right to stay in the shared household, even if you don't own it), and a Monetary Relief Order (compensation, maintenance) — all through a simplified process before a Magistrate.

1. Contact a Protection Officer (appointed in every district) or the nearest Mahila Police Station/One Stop Centre.
2. You can also directly approach a Magistrate for a Protection Order.
3. Call 181 (Women Helpline) for support, and 112 if you're in immediate physical danger.
4. NALSA provides free legal aid throughout this process, regardless of your income.

Persistent unwanted contact, explicit messages, or threats to share private images.

BNS provisions criminalise stalking, voyeurism, and words/gestures intended to insult a woman's modesty. Sharing intimate images without consent is a serious offence under both BNS and the IT Act, 2000 (Sec. 66E — violation of privacy).

1. Preserve evidence — screenshots, chat logs, don't delete anything, even if it's upsetting.
2. File a complaint on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call 1930.
3. File an FIR at the local police station or the nearest Cyber Cell.
4. Use cybercrime.gov.in's fast-track option for reporting non-consensual intimate imagery for quicker content takedown.

An immediate threat where every minute counts.

1. Call 112 (all-India emergency) or 181 (Women Helpline, 24x7) — both can dispatch help and connect you to police, medical, and shelter support.
2. Check if your state police app has an SOS button — many now include one for exactly this situation.

The PWDVA gives you a fast, civil (not criminal-only) route to real, enforceable protection — not just a police complaint.

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 lets you approach a Magistrate for a Protection Order (stopping further violence/contact), a Residence Order (the right to stay in the shared household regardless of whose name it's in), and Monetary Relief (maintenance, medical costs, loss of earnings) — all through a relatively fast civil process, alongside any separate criminal case.

1. Contact a Protection Officer (appointed in every district) or a registered service provider/NGO — they can help you file, even without a lawyer.
2. File a Domestic Incident Report (DIR) with the Protection Officer, detailing the abuse.
3. Apply to the Magistrate for the specific orders you need — Protection, Residence, and/or Monetary Relief can all be sought together.
4. Courts are expected to hear the first application within 3 days and dispose of the case within 60 days — this is designed to move fast.

Harassment or coercion tied to a dowry demand is treated as a serious offence in its own right, separate from general domestic violence.

BNS Sec. 85 criminalises cruelty by a husband or his relatives — including harassment aimed at coercing a dowry demand — with imprisonment up to 3 years and a fine. If it escalates to an unnatural death within 7 years of marriage with dowry-cruelty shortly before, BNS Sec. 80 creates a presumption of "dowry death" against the husband/relatives. The separate Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 makes giving, taking, or demanding dowry itself illegal.

1. Document specific incidents, dates, and any written/recorded demands as they happen.
2. File a police complaint/FIR citing BNS Sec. 85 — this is a cognizable offence.
3. You can simultaneously seek a Protection/Residence/Monetary Order under the PWDVA (see above) for immediate civil relief.
4. Contact the Women Helpline (181) or a DLSA (15100) for free legal aid to pursue both routes together.