NCW Chief Flags Delays In Victim Compensation, Weak POSH Implementation At South Zone Justice Conference

Home / Event Corner NCW Chief Flags Delays In Victim Compensation, Weak POSH Implementation At South Zone Justice Conference X Vijaya Rahatkar Bats For Time-Bound Trials, Suo Motu Compensation In Heinous Offences Against Women NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, inaugurating the South Zone Regional Conference on "Justice for Women," calls for time-bound trials, faster victim compensation and stronger POSH implementation, citing NCRB and NALSA data on the scale of the gap. National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar , speaking at the inaugural session of the first South Zone Regional Conference on "Justice for Women," organised by the NCW in association with the Karnataka High Court and the Karnataka Judicial Academy, flagged deep gaps in the justice delivery system for women, pointing to delayed victim compensation, poor implementation of workplace safety laws, and the continuing practice of pressuring survivors to "compromise" in non-compoundable offences, even as courts have repeatedly held such settlements impermissible. Citing National Crime Records Bureau data to underline the scale of the problem, Rahatkar noted that 2023 alone saw 4,48,211 reported crimes against women, translating to "roughly 51 complaints every hour across the country." Rahatkar said the numbers pointed to challenges beyond mere prevention. "This tells us that the challenge is not limited to preventing crime. It is also concerned with the quality of investigation, the effectiveness of prosecution and the support available to a victim at every stage of the justice process," she said. On victim compensation, she pointed to NALSA's 2024-25 figures showing only around 27,000 applications decided nationwide, with over 14,000 applications still pending, calling implementation of compensation schemes "uneven across states." She also raised concern over attempts to settle serious offences despite courts making clear that such cases are not compoundable and that survivors "cannot be persuaded or pressurized to withdraw." Illustrating the risks of insensitive judicial language, Rahatkar referred to a case in which a High Court had held, at the charge-framing stage, that grabbing a minor girl's breast and breaking the string of her pyjama did not amount to attempted rape. She noted that the Supreme Court had since set aside that view, and that an expert committee headed by former Supreme Court judge, Justice Aniruddha Bose had recommended avoiding terminology that could cause secondary trauma to survivors of sexual assault. Turning to workplace safety, Rahatkar questioned why implementation of the POSH Act remained weak twelve years after it came into force. "Internal committees and local committees are still not constituted at many places, particularly outside government institutes and the unorganized sector," she said, adding that even where such committees exist, many members lack proper legal or procedural training. She noted the Commission had conducted over 160 training sessions for Local Committees this year alone. Rahatkar also spoke on family courts, noting that the Family Courts Act, 1984 requires reconciliation efforts and trained counsellors who can recognise "when a marriage is unsafe to preserve." She said the NCW's premarital counselling initiative now runs around 60 centres across 11 states, helping couples discuss expectations, responsibilities and communication before marriage. Listing recommendations before the gathering of judges, mediators and practitioners from southern states, Rahatkar called for time-bound trials in rape, POCSO and domestic violence cases, standardised timelines for compensation payouts, gender-sensitive judicial handling to avoid repeated testimony and secondary victimisation, protection of survivor confidentiality, suo motu interim compensation by district courts in heinous offences, mandatory premarital counselling before marriage registration, and capacity building for judges on emerging digital offen