Women’s safety across sectors: A year-end reckoning of struggles and solutions

As 2024 draws to a close, women's safety remains a critical issue in workplaces spanning  sectors. 

Asiya Shervani, an expert in people and organisational culture, has spent years advocating for gender justice and workplace safety, particularly in the context of India’s evolving corporate and governmental structures. 

Her work as an external member of Internal Committees (ICs) across the country on sexual harassment prevention gives her a unique vantage point on both the progress made and the barriers that remain in making workplaces safer for women and gender minorities.

Shervani acknowledges that global reforms following the Justice Verma Committee’s recommendations and the introduction of laws such as the Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act (POSH) in 2013 have been pivotal. They have prompted many foreign companies operating in India to implement mechanisms to comply with the law. 

But despite strides such as the POSH Act and collective movements like #MeToo, 2024 has illuminated glaring gaps in enforcement, accountability, and inclusive reform. These challenges underscore the critical need for robust mechanisms, from workplace grievance redressal to cultural shifts in male-dominated industries.

Issues of women’s safety in India’s workforce and public spaces span cinema, the gig economy, and unorganised sectors.

Women in gig economy

On November 17, Chandrika Goud, a beautician with a tech-driven gig platform, died after prolonged illness. The Gig and Platform Services Workers’ Union (GIPSWU)—the country’s first union dedicated to women gig workers—alleged that the reason her health deteriorated was “years of relentless harassment, intimidation, and abuse" by a startup that employs gig workers.

According to reports, Goud had filed a police complaint in February this year against harassment by a senior who reprimanded her quality-checking work over a call, using abusive language — which on-paper was prohibited by the company policy. She reported the incident to her employer and after follow-ups, was asked to visit the head office in Bengaluru.

On January 19, when she arrived with companions, a security guard allegedly pushed and hit her, prompted by the manager and staff, as per her FIR. Four days later, the company blocked her account.

India's growing gig economy stood at an estimated 7.7 million workers in 2020-21, and is projected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30, according to NITI Aayog. Approximately 30% of India's gig workforce today is composed of women. 

With the rapid expansion of digital platforms in the gig economy, women workers have come face to face with new vulnerabilities, particularly those in roles requiring client-facing interactions, such as beauty services, taxi driving, and food delivery. 

While platforms advertise ‘flexibility,’ this is often a mask on precarious, unethical working conditions say unions like GIPSWU. Women workers —a lot of whom are single mothers depending on these gigs for their livelihood —face risks including harassment and violence, both at clients' homes and in public spaces. 

Simultaneously, platforms shield themselves from accountability by classifying workers as independent contractors or partners, rather than employees —an issue consistently raised by GIPSWU.

The year saw women gig workers fighting back. During Diwali, they staged a ‘digital strike’, demanding better working conditions and social security.

The protest saw gig workers turn off their devices and pause work across platforms such as Ola, Swiggy, Zomato, and Urban Company in cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru. 

The 2024 Karnataka High Court ruling in Ms (X) vs ICC marked a significant step forward, holding cab aggregator Ola Cabs accountable for the misconduct of a driver under the POSH Act. This decision established that platform companies can be treated as employers under specific circumstances, setting a

precedent for broader accountability. However, glaring gaps remain.

Solutions and the way forward

GIPSWU General Secretary Seema Singh says getting recognition as employees, fair pay, and a safe environment are fundamental to every worker’s dignity of labour. She elaborates that the classification of gig workers as employees or their inclusion within the purview of existing labour laws like the POSH Act would make platform companies directly responsible for implementing safety mechanisms, such as Internal Complaints Committees (ICCs).

Secondly, she talks about how platform accountability mechanisms including robust complaint redressal for both workers and customers must be put  in place, including gender-sensitised support channels and proactive policies to handle harassment cases effectively. In addition, compensation or reparative measures for workers who face violence or harassment should be made mandatory.

Among other things, GIPSWU members also demand that the POSH Act must explicitly cover platform workers to ensure effective functioning of local complaints committees with resources and training specific to platform-based work environments, and platforms should mandate training for workers and customers on appropriate behaviour and safety protocols.

They also suggest partnerships between platforms, worker unions, and government bodies to foster a safer ecosystem. 

Women in cinema

The year 2024 marked a watershed moment in addressing women’s safety in Indian cinema, driven by high-profile revelations and systemic investigations into the industry's often long-buried culture of harassment and power abuse. 

The formation of the Justice Hema Committee in Kerala emerged as a landmark step to tackle gender-based harassment in the Malayalam film industry and beyond. 

Propelled by years of silence-breaking accounts from actresses and workers within cinema who had long faced harassment, discrimination, and coercive power dynamics, the Committee, established in 2024, followed intense public pressure and the advocacy of leading industry voices. 

Actor and director Geetu Mohandas openly criticised the "mafia-like" structures that stifled dissent in Malayalam cinema. She and other advocates highlighted how women were expected to make "compromises" to sustain their careers, perpetuating a culture of exploitation and silence.

This development came in the wake of mounting evidence of abuse across regional film industries like Telugu and Tamil cinema, where movements like #MeToo exposed harrowing stories of harassment. 

Key findings and recommendations

The Hema Committee's findings shed light on the normalised exploitation of women, particularly newcomers. It also highlighted cultural barriers that discouraged survivors from reporting incidents due to fear of ostracisation and loss of work, and gender imbalances in decision-making roles.

Some of the Committee's key recommendations included: 

• Institutional anti-harassment policies, workshops and sensitisation of all workers in cinema on workplace behaviour, consent, and legal repercussions of harassment.

• Equal representation of women in leadership roles like producers, directors, and writers to reshape the industry's culture.

• Accountability and transparency, including a registry of complaints and their resolutions to hold perpetrators accountable.

• Periodic reviews of workplace environments by independent bodies.

As the year ends, industry professionals and advocacy groups stress the need for vigilance and implementation of these recommendations. The hope is that the Hema Committee’s work will catalyse a cultural shift in Indian cinema—one where safety and equality are non-negotiable.

To this end, the Women in Cinema Collective, an organisation focused on addressing gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry recommends a Reporting Mechanism to inform the workplace of malpractice and non-compliance of POSH Act and a mechanism to factually record violations with evidence that could be escalated towards immediate corrective action.    

Women in medicine

Women working in healthcare, particularly nurses, face daily challenges that threaten both their physical and mental well-being. From verbal abuse to inadequate safety measures, the conditions many women in the Indian medical sector endure have long been a concern.

The issue snowballed into nationwide outrage following the alleged rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate doctor at Kolkata's R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in August 2024.

Shervani cites a big reason for these crimes to be the apathy in forming and implementing ICs as mandated by law, particularly in government offices and institutions. 

“There are also many poorly implemented ICs—committees that lack training, are filled with unqualified members, or retaliate against those who take their roles seriously,” Shervani explains. She also points to the lack of women in senior leadership roles.

Priyanka Salariya, a nurse at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Jammu, paints a troubling picture of life in the emergency department of a government hospital. 

"Every day is rife with challenges," she says. Working 13-15 hours a day, Salariya is often subjected to verbal abuse from patients' attendants, especially when dealing with intoxicated or substance abuse cases during night shifts. 

"We continue to treat the patient undeterred, because that is our duty," she adds, highlighting the importance of maintaining focus despite the hostile work environment in healthcare.

The situation is not an isolated one. A 2024 article by The Lancet said a third of women in healthcare settings have faced physical violence. Women in healthcare, especially at the lower rung, experience some form of harassment during their careers, whether verbal, physical, or sexual. 

The report also identified a glaring absence of proper grievance redressal mechanisms in most healthcare settings. Salariya's hospital, like many others, lacks a POSH committee, or a formal internal complaints system, leaving women vulnerable with little recourse.

“Addressing these issues requires urgent systemic reform at multiple levels. First and foremost, healthcare institutions must establish and enforce POSH committees that are easily accessible to all staff members. These committees should be empowered to investigate complaints thoroughly and ensure swift action against perpetrators,” says Anurag Verma, UP State President of All India Registered Nurses Federation.

Mandatory gender sensitivity training for all hospital staff is also essential to foster a culture of respect and equality, says Salariya.

As she points out, "Doctors often leave after duty and by position earn more respect, but nurses don’t. Equal recognition for all roles within the hospital, particularly for nurses who work long hours and often under difficult conditions, could go a long way in promoting respect and reducing hierarchical discrimination,” she says.

Healthcare workers, especially female nurses, need better pay, benefits, and working conditions. 

Finally, security measures within hospitals need to be strengthened.  “This includes installing surveillance cameras in critical areas, ensuring proper lighting in corridors and rest areas, and having more female staff present during night shifts. 

The unorganised sector

As of 2022, approximately 52.84% of the registered unorganised workers on the e-Shram portal were women. This includes roles in domestic work, construction, street vending, farming, and home-based industries. 

IWWAGE (Initiative for What Works to Advance Women and Girls in the Economy) is an organisation dedicated to making women economically empowered. 

Its suggestions to ensure the safety of women in the informal sector include access to formal credit facilities and fostering long-term financial security measures —which are crucial to reducing the risks associated with unstable and insecure employment.

In Tamil Nadu, the Dindigul Agreement, a groundbreaking initiative in India's garment industry, focuses on addressing gender-based violence and harassment. It involves brands like H&M, GAP, and PVH, along with a factory (Eastman Exports). 

The legally-binding agreement, formulated by the Tamil Nadu Textile Union, includes worker-led grievance mechanisms, training programmes, and strong anti-retaliation protections. Its consultative process, with inputs from women workers, differentiates it from other initiatives. 

After just a year of implementation since 2022, it had already resolved over 100 grievances.

Following by example

Despite the challenges, Shervani says some organisations are modeling positive change. She recalls a company where a woman business head championed sessions on unconscious bias and male privilege, fostering an inclusive and proactive approach. 

“Change management is a journey,” she says, emphasising that it requires time, patience, and consistent effort to shift attitudes from compliance to genuine commitment.

Shervani also underscores the importance of taking an intersectional approach. Good ICs, she believes, are not only well-trained but also informed about gender, LGBTQ+ rights, and trauma-informed practices. “It’s not about male-bashing feminism but fostering an empathetic environment that upholds dignity for everyone, even during allegations,” she elaborates.

Her message is clear: transformation requires both structural change and personal accountability.