Government Reaffirms Commitment to Women’s Safety and Empowerment

New Delhi, March 27, 2026: The Central Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of women across India, highlighting several legislative and policy initiatives aimed at preventing and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.

The government emphasized the implementation of The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, commonly known as the PoSH Act. The law safeguards all women, irrespective of age, employment type, or sector—covering both public and private workplaces as well as organized and unorganized industries. Employers with more than ten employees must form an Internal Committee (IC) to handle complaints, while Local Committees (LCs) are constituted at the district level to address complaints in smaller workplaces or where the employer is the accused.

Monitoring and enforcement of the Act at state and district levels are the responsibility of the respective governments, which maintain records of complaints received, actions taken, and resolutions achieved, ensuring accountability across workplaces funded fully or partially by public resources.

Under the Mission Shakti Scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, a holistic, victim-centric approach has been adopted to strengthen women’s safety and empowermentEmergency Response Support System (ERSS-112) operate round-the-clock. They have handled over 2.88 crore calls, assisting more than 99.09 lakh women.

The government has also promoted awareness through workshops, seminars, audio-visual campaigns, and print and electronic media. Employers are mandated to conduct regular training sessions to educate employees on PoSH provisions and orient Internal Committee members on effective complaint handling.

Additionally, the Mission Shakti Portal, launched on January 22, 2025, enhances access to government services for women, establishing systems for rescue, protection, and rehabilitation. The SHe-Box Portal provides a centralized platform for filing and tracking workplace harassment complaints, streamlining the redressal process under the PoSH Act.

This information was shared by Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in the Lok Sabha, underscoring the government’s focus on creating safe work environments for women across India.