Is the National Commission for Women able to strategize and tackle the problems that women face at both…

Question

Is the National Commission for Women able to strategize and tackle the problems that women face at both public and private spheres? Give reasons in support of your answer.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

The NCW has only partly strategised and tackled women's problems: it built helplines, Lok Adalats and an NRI Cell, but it reacts more than it plans and cannot enforce change at home. The NCRB recorded about 4.45 lakh crimes against women in 2022, led by cruelty by husbands or relatives.

**Introduction**

The NCW, set up in 1992 under the NCW Act, 1990, faces a wide task: the NCRB recorded about 4.45 lakh crimes against women in 2022, with cruelty by husbands or relatives the largest head.

**NCW in the Public Sphere: Reach and Gaps**

1. **Workplace safety**: It reviews POSH Act, 2013 compliance, yet Aureliano Fernandes (2023) found 16 of 30 national sports federations without Internal Committees, so it can flag but not compel.
2. **Access**: Its 24x7 helpline (2021) and Digital Shakti campaign widen help against street and cyber harassment.
3. **Reactive and selective**: It acted on the 2023 Manipur assault only after the video went viral, and Union nomination of members invites charges of partisanship.

**NCW in the Private Sphere: Reach and Gaps**

1. **Family remedies**: Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalats and its NRI Cell (since 2009) give women quick, cheap redress.
2. **Limited levers**: Domestic violence law runs through State protection officers and One Stop Centres, while norms behind spousal violence, reported by nearly three in ten ever-married women in NFHS-5, need behavioural change.

SKETCH: iceberg | Women's Problems the NCW Must Reach
visible: Workplace harassment, Street and cyber abuse, Dowry deaths
hidden: Marital cruelty, Unpaid care burden, Silenced complaints

**Way Forward**

1. **Teeth and independence**: Mandate time-bound action-taken reports and an independent selection panel.
2. **Data-led plan**: Set annual targets for both spheres using NCRB and NFHS data.

**Conclusion**

The NCW has only partly met its task: it offers useful tools but reacts more than it plans and cannot reach inside the home. Binding powers and independence would let it realise Articles 14 and 15(3) in both spheres.

Is the National Commission for Women able to strategize and tackle the problems that women face at both public and private spheres? Give reasons in support of your answer.

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