NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index

The NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index is a significant report highlighting the current status of urban women’s safety in India. Released this year, the NARI report 2025 is based on a survey of 12,770 women across 31 cities, reflecting their experiences, perceptions, and challenges related to safety in urban spaces. For SSC aspirants, this report is crucial as it covers important current affairs, social issues, and governance challenges in India.

According to the NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index, India’s national safety score stands at 65%, indicating progress but also showing that 40% of women still feel unsafe in Indian cities.

The findings underscore that women’s safety is a multi-dimensional issue, linked not just to policing, but also to social attitudes, urban planning, and institutional effectiveness.

City Rankings: Safest and Unsafe Cities for Women in India

The NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index city rankings reveal stark contrasts between different urban areas:

• Safest cities for women in India 2025 include Kohima, Visakhapatnam, and Bhubaneswar, thanks to better gender equity, effective policing, and supportive infrastructure.

• The least safe cities are Patna, Jaipur, and Delhi, highlighting challenges like weak institutional support and entrenched patriarchal norms.

For SSC aspirants, understanding the women's safety ranking of Indian cities is important for topics on urban development, governance, and law-and-order performance. Comparisons like Delhi vs Kohima women's safety comparison 2025 provide insight into how local culture, governance, and public infrastructure impact urban women's security.

Harassment Patterns and Vulnerable Groups

The NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index indicates that 7% of women reported public harassment in 2024, but this rises to 14% among women under 24, particularly students and young professionals.

Common forms of harassment include:

• Verbal harassment – 58% of cases

• Physical, psychological, economic, and sexual harassment

Understanding women harassment statistics in India 2024 is critical for SSC exams, especially for questions on social issues and vulnerable groups. The report identifies harassment hotspots in Indian cities' public transport and neighbourhoods, which are the main sites where women face risks.

Timing and Perception of Safety

Safety perceptions vary by time and location:

• Women feel safer in educational institutions during the day (86%), but confidence drops at night or off-campus.

• Poor street lighting and unreliable transport contribute to insecurity, reflecting the need for better urban security measures.

SSC aspirants can link these findings to urban planning and women-friendly city initiatives in India.

Workplace Safety and Awareness

The report also highlights workplace conditions:

• 91% of women describe their workplaces as safe.

• However, awareness of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) policy is low.

• Over half (53%) of women do not know if their organisation has implemented POSH.

For aspirants, these points to the importance of awareness of POSH policy among working women in India and the role of institutional frameworks in safeguarding women.

Trust in Redressal Mechanisms

One of the critical insights from the NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index is the lack of trust in police and legal systems:

• Only one in three harassment victims files a formal complaint.

• Of those complaints, only 22% are registered, and 16% see action.

• 75% of women doubt the effectiveness of authorities.

This data emphasizes the importance of trust in the police and the legal system for women's safety in India 2025, a key point for SSC exams under social justice and law enforcement topics.

Broader Dimensions of Safety

The NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index frames women’s safety as more than physical security. Psychological, financial, and digital safety also play a significant role in women’s access to opportunities and dignity.

Urban planning, social attitudes, and institutional reforms are essential to enhance safety comprehensively.

Key Takeaways for SSC Aspirants

1. NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index highlights both progress and persistent challenges in urban women's safety in India.

2. Safe cities like Kohima and unsafe cities like Delhi show how governance and culture impact women safety ranking of Indian cities.

3. Awareness programs like the POSH policy are critical for improving workplace safety.

4. Understanding harassment hotspots in Indian cities' public transport and neighbourhoods helps in policy and developmental discussions.

5. Trust in authorities remains weak; this links to broader social justice and governance issues.

Final Thoughts

The NARI 2025 Women’s Safety Index highlights that while India has made strides in improving urban women's safety, a significant portion of women still feel unsafe in their cities. The report emphasizes that safety is multidimensional, encompassing physical, psychological, financial, and digital security.

Cities like Kohima, Visakhapatnam, and Bhubaneswar demonstrate how effective governance, infrastructure, and social attitudes can enhance women’s safety, whereas cities like Delhi, Patna, and Jaipur show the consequences of weak institutional support.

Harassment remains a serious concern, particularly in neighbourhoods, public transport, and recreational spaces, with young women being the most vulnerable. The low awareness of POSH policy and limited trust in police and legal systems highlight the need for institutional reforms and public awareness initiatives.