The economic imperative to address gender-based violence in India

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, is an opportune moment to confront an alarming reality: that the escalating violence against women and girls (VAWG) in India is not merely a social and moral crisis but also an emerging economic one.

While calls to address gender-based violence have echoed for decades, the current scale of the crisis demands action beyond incremental improvements to justice and victim support systems— it requires urgent, macro-level, and mass-scale interventions.

The statistics are staggering. India records 90 rape cases daily (National Crime Records Bureau). Over 4.7 lakh cases remain pending under the Domestic Violence Act. One in sixteen women continue to report experiencing sexual harassment in their careers (AON Voice of Women survey), with the reported number of sexual harassment cases having increased by 38% in 2023-24 (Udaiti Foundation).

fBut more than the numbers, the severity of the issue is underscored by the heinous nature of recent incidents, such as the brutal rape and murder of a young doctor in Kolkata, systemic sexual abuse in the Malayalam film industry, and the appalling assault of two young girls in a Maharashtra nursery school.

Adding to that, the public outrage expressed through protests, social media, and public discourse reflects the deep emotional impact on people of such events. However, systemic change remains elusive, just like nothing much has changed after mass upheavals like Bhanwari Devi's case that catalysed the creation of the PoSH Act; the #MeToo movement or the public outcry following the Nirbhaya case.

This persistent violence and fear carry profound economic implications. Research consistently shows that not just violence against women but even the threat of violence leads to significant economic costs. The pre-pandemic global cost of VAWG was estimated at 2% of global GDP, or $1.5 trillion—a figure likely higher post-pandemic. Alarmingly, a 1% increase in crimes against women leads to a 9.4% decline in women’s labour supply.   

In India, after the 2012 Nirbhaya case, 82% of surveyed working women began leaving work earlier due to safety concerns. Another study found reduced involvement of urban women in the labour market following media publicised sexual violence. Similarly, ORF's Women on the Move survey (2021) revealed that 52% of women declined employment or education opportunities due to unsafe commutes.

Despite this reality, responses to gender-based violence remain reactionary and fragmented. Recent measures such as the Prime Minister's call to expedite verdicts or West Bengal's anti-rape Aparajit Bill prescribing death penalties for rapists are steps in the right direction, but VAWG still hasn’t become a national priority.

Uprooting VAWG would require shifting perspectives and treating it as a critical economic and developmental issue, rather than merely a social or cultural problem. This would require large-scale, cross-cutting interventions.

For one, addressing all forms of gender-based violence needs simultaneous and synchronised reforms across the judicial ecosystem, education system, workplaces, public spaces, digital technologies, and media.

This can be enabled via the implementation of a comprehensive, multi-stakeholder National Action Plan to combat VAWG. Inspired by countries like Canada, Australia, and the US, India can implement a framework that mainstreams gender-based violence prevention into all relevant ministries and departments—not just the Ministry of Women and Child Development.

Additionally, capacity building for policymakers and officials at the central, state, and local levels is necessary to ensure effective implementation and accountability. All relevant Ministries must also be mandated to allocate a portion of budgetary resources under the Gender Budget for initiatives that address gender-specific or gender-intensified safety challenges, with an inter-ministerial committee overseeing the implementation.

Secondly, we need massive actions to “empower men” as partners in women’s advancement. Women’s economic independence, while critical, can trigger backlash if not accompanied by efforts to engage men as equal partners in change.

Therefore, efforts to address patriarchy must also focus on men’s issues, redefining masculinity and engaging men as equal partners in change. This would require integrating gender sensitivity into education curriculum, workplace culture, and media portrayals while promoting positive masculine traits like compassion, empathy, and cooperation.

To mitigate the emotional repression that often manifests as violence, it is crucial to scale up the accessibility of mental health resources for men and boys in schools and colleges, workplaces, and via public health systems. Showcasing real-life male role models from political and corporate leadership who challenge violence and misogyny is key to reshaping masculinity. Moreover, men need to be sensitised about the benefits of having women in the labour force and leadership participation, which accrue to every individual, family, business, and nation.

Thirdly, it is essential to depoliticise violence against women. Political parties often turn incidents of violence against women into political battlegrounds, which diverts attention from the real issue and leads to short-term, reactionary measures rather than the long-term changes needed to protect women and ensure their safety. However, VAWG must transcend political affiliations. Politicians and parties must commit to a non-partisan approach to finding sustainable solutions while avoiding blame games and divisive rhetoric. 

If gender-based violence is not addressed as a critical economic and developmental issue, its repercussions will erode progress in gender equality, economic growth, and sustainable development. As has been estimated, India cannot achieve its $14 trillion economy target by 2047 without doubling its female labour force participation, which will not be possible if women continue to be victimised. Therefore, addressing VAWG is no longer optional—it is imperative for India's economic future.