NCW’s ‘At Your Doorstep’ drive aims to boost women’s trust in justice system

National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has stressed the need to boost women’s confidence in the legal and administrative system, saying such trust is vital for timely justice.

Initiatives like ‘NCW at Your Doorstep’ would significantly contribute to achieving this goal, Rahatkar said, addressing a women's public hearing held at Belapur in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday.

She said increasing women's faith in institutions would lead to more effective grievance redressal and reduce delays in justice delivery.

"To ensure prompt redressal of women's grievances, it is important to increase their faith in law and administration under the National Women's Commission At Your Doorstep' initiative, and such initiatives will go a long way in helping women get justice," Rahatkar said.

Citing data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), she expressed concern over Maharashtra being among the leading states in crimes against women and called for stronger preventive measures.

Rahatkar suggested that police commissioners and superintendents in each district earmark a fixed day every week for hearing women's grievances directly to ensure prompt redressal. She also stressed coordinated functioning among protection officers, local committees, One Stop Centres and police authorities, along with regular joint review meetings by district collectors and police officials.

The NCW chairperson further directed authorities to ensure timely access to free legal aid and counselling services for women and to verify the effective functioning of internal and local complaints committees in government and semi-government offices.

The hearing on Tuesday, conducted under the 'National Commission for Women at Your Doorstep' initiative, saw proceedings in 28 cases, while directions were issued to resolve the remaining complaints within eight days.

According to officials, the commission had received 63 applications for the hearing, including 28 already registered with the NCW and 35 fresh complaints submitted during walk-ins.

Of these, hearings in 28 cases have been completed, while efforts are underway to address the remaining 35 complaints within the stipulated timeframe. Some cases pending before courts may take longer, officials said.

The cases heard included one of rape/attempt to rape, five about sexual harassment, three of assault, 14 of domestic violence, three of dowry harassment, one of cyber crime and one of kidnapping.

Rahatkar expressed confidence that most complaints would see positive outcomes. She also emphasised the importance of counselling and mediation in resolving family disputes, noting that a significant number of domestic violence cases are being addressed through such mechanisms with the help of counsellors and protection officers.

She also conducted a comprehensive review of women-centric schemes and law enforcement mechanisms across the Konkan region via video conferencing.

Highlighting the NCW's role as a statutory body safeguarding women's rights, she reviewed the implementation of key central and state schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Har Ghar Jal Yojana, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Lakhpati Didi Yojana, and directed officials to address administrative and technical bottlenecks.

During Rahatkar's visit, several complaints were heard on the spot and necessary directions were issued to the officials concerned. The commission also reiterated that its 24x7 women's helpline '14490' remains operational.

Rahatkar expressed confidence that such outreach initiatives would foster greater trust among women towards the administration and facilitate quicker resolution of their grievances.