Decision\u2011making and control over resources still remain uneven. Although financial and digital inclusion have improved in many places (more women now hold bank accounts and own mobile phones) gaps persist in regular paid work, asset ownership and meaningful control over earnings and mobility, which together keep many women economically vulnerable and dependent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Large shares of ever\u2011married women report experiences of physical or sexual violence by a husband, showing that intimate\u2011partner violence remains a common and persistent problem with wide public\u2011health and social consequences. These patterns are not isolated: they interact. Early marriage increases the risk of school dropout and economic dependence; limited mobility and workforce participation raise vulnerability to exploitation and make reporting violence harder; and weak economic autonomy reduces the range of feasible choices when facing coercion or abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Child marriage remains driven by economic precarity and entrenched social norms. Nationally, nearly one in four young women aged 20\u201324 were married before 18, based on the NFHS\u20115 indicator used by UNICEF; rural prevalence remains higher than urban, reflecting structural disadvantages and normative pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Karnataka\u2019s Belagavi district, 42 child marriages were recorded between April 2024 and March 2025, despite prevention efforts. Local data show the highest counts among the Kuruba community, illustrating how tradition, social expectations and household vulnerability intersect at the district level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Child marriage is linked to interrupted schooling, early pregnancy, higher maternal and neonatal risks, and constrained lifetime earnings, perpetuating intergenerational disadvantage. NFHS\u20115 and UNICEF analyses consistently associate early marriage with poorer health and economic outcomes, underscoring the urgency of sustained prevention, social protection, and norm change strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2023\u201324, more than 70,000 child marriages were reportedly prevented across 265 districts in 17 states and UTs, with both panchayats and civil society playing significant roles in detection, counseling and enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite increasing female participation in formal employment, women continue to encounter bias, harassment and exclusionary practices that hinder retention and career progression. The Aon Voice of Women in Corporate India 2024 survey, which engaged nearly 24,000 professional women across more than 560 companies, highlights the scale of the challenge:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Importantly, less than half of those affected chose to formally report incidents, underscoring persistent gaps in workplace redress and trust in grievance mechanisms. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n India\u2019s POSH Act, 2013 establishes mandatory Internal Complaints Committees, local committees and employer duties, yet implementation gaps persist. Academic and practitioner analyses identify weak awareness, compliance shortfalls and limited trust in redress mechanisms as recurring barriers, reducing the law\u2019s effective reach and deterrence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI\u2011generated deepfakes are intensifying school cyberbullying: surveys and educator reports show that 40\u201350% of students are aware of deepfakes circulating in schools, victims are disproportionately girls who suffer severe and lasting psychological harm, and many teachers and districts lack training or clear policies to respond. A 20-year-old student from the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Naya Raipur was arrested for allegedly creating obscene images of female classmates using AI tools, said the police. The growing risk environment chills women\u2019s participation online, damages reputations, and can fuel extortion and social isolation. Current regulatory and enforcement frameworks struggle to keep pace with the speed and scale of AI\u2011enabled abuse, pointing to the need for clearer platform obligations, faster takedown protocols and victim\u2011centric remedies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women\u2019s safety in public spaces shapes mobility, access to work and education and time use. Policy guidance highlights design and planning gaps in transport, lighting, last\u2011mile connectivity, and reporting pathways; surveys indicate fear and harassment that rarely appear in official records. Perception data from urban India suggest many women feel unsafe and under\u2011report incidents, reinforcing the need for gender\u2011responsive urban mobility and public\u2011space planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harmful practices are embedded in gendered power structures: ideas about family honor, marriage timing, and \u201cprotection\u201d of girls combine with economic pressures like dowry costs and poverty. In Bihar, a multi\u2011district survey found women branded as \u201cwitches\u201d were often aged 46\u201366, married or widowed, and disproportionately from lower castes; accusations frequently followed visible increases in women\u2019s or households\u2019 income or leadership roles, pointing to control and retaliation beyond superstition. Jharkhand reports persistent witch\u2011hunting, with Gumla recording high caseloads; survivors face prolonged insecurity even after convictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2020, two individuals were killed after being accused of witchcraft in Karbi Anglong, Assam. The incident was reported as mob violence, followed by police arrests. The tragedy highlights how entrenched beliefs can spiral into extreme harm when left unchecked. It highlights the urgent need for preventive community engagement, swift police intervention, and robust legal accountability to dismantle harmful practices and protect vulnerable lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Launched in 2015, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) targets declining child sex ratio and girls\u2019 education through national campaigns and district-level action. Government updates report sex ratio at birth improving from 918 in 2014\u201315 to around 930 by 2023\u201324, alongside increases in girls\u2019 secondary enrollment, attributed to sustained outreach and enforcement under BBBP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One Stop Centre (Sakhi): Integrated support for survivor<\/strong>s<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The One Stop Centre (OSC) scheme offers co-located medical, legal, counseling, and shelter services for women facing violence, operational across hundreds of districts. Analyses note 700+ centres are functional nationwide, with documented support across domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and acid attack cases; however, capacity and coordination challenges persist and vary by state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ujjawala and Swadhar Greh: Rehabilitation and reintegration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ujjawala focuses on trafficking prevention, rescue and rehabilitation, while Swadhar Greh provides shelter and comprehensive support for women in distress. Both schemes have been evaluated by NITI Aayog and integrated into Mission Shakti to strengthen continuity of services; official briefings describe provisions for shelter, food, medical\/legal aid and vocational training across homes nationally. Independent effectiveness studies highlight variability in implementation and recommend integration and improved staffing norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mahila E\u2011Haat and Stand Up India: Pathways to economic independence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mahila E\u2011Haat, launched under Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, provides an online marketplace for women entrepreneurs and SHGs to showcase products and services, positioning technology as a bridge to markets; early releases frame it as a Digital India\/Stand Up India aligned platform. Public-facing dashboards and third-party summaries cite thousands of sellers and products onboarded, though official consolidated performance metrics are limited in the public domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nirbhaya Fund and Safe City projects: Building safer urban spaces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Nirbhaya Fund supports multi\u2011agency interventions for women\u2019s safety, including Safe City projects in major metros that deploy hotspot mapping, improved lighting, CCTV, panic buttons, increased patrols and dedicated help desks. As of 2025, the government reports \u20b97,712.85 crore allocated with roughly 76% utilization, 14,658 women\u2019s help desks established and cyber forensic\u2011cum\u2011training labs operating across 33 states and Union Territories. Safe City, launched in 2018 and extended through 2024, is documented by the Ministry of Home Affairs and summarized in global databases that outline its core components and city coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gendered violence across belief, labor and digital spaces<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology has become a weapon in silencing women journalists. What begins as trolling quickly escalates into manipulated images, deepfakes and sexualized threats designed to erode credibility and drive women out of public life. UNESCO\u2019s The Chilling project and ICFJ\u2019s global study reveal not only the scale of this abuse but also its strategic intent: to intimidate, discredit and isolate. Their findings call for urgent accountability \u2014 from platforms that host abuse, law enforcement that must treat it as a crime and newsrooms that need to protect their reporters rather than leave them exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sumangali system drew adolescent girls and young women\u2014many from Dalit communities\u2014into bonded labour through \u201clump\u2011sum\u201d promises tied to dowry savings. Despite legal action and brand pressure, investigations and academic studies reveal that risks persist in informal supply chains, where coercion and debt bondage remain entrenched. Addressing these harms requires more than compliance: robust enforcement, worker organizing, and transparent sourcing practices are essential to dismantle exploitative recruitment and ensure dignity in labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Domestic violence survivors rebuilding livelihoods<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n During and after COVID\u201119, the National Commission for Women (NCW) expanded helplines and documented a rise in complaints. Greater awareness and improved access enabled more survivors to report violence and seek support. Alongside this, state programmes and women\u2019s collectives have played a critical role in helping survivors reintegrate economically. To capture these shifts responsibly, analysis should draw on state\u2011level NCRB and NCW data to illustrate broad trends, while avoiding precise percentage spikes unless directly supported by official figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond schemes: Education, gender inclusion, and social norms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Education is the foundation of durable social change. Government schemes and protection services create vital safety nets, but lasting shifts in life trajectories come when girls complete secondary education and gain practical skills. Completing higher secondary reduces the likelihood of early marriage, early motherhood and vulnerability to exploitation, because it expands options, delays household dependence and strengthens negotiating power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Educational empowerment must go beyond basic literacy. Effective programmes combine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When girls are taught to claim space and boys are taught empathy and equality, the cultural script that normalises control and abuse begins to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education is only the start: building pathways to equity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Education without economic opportunity leaves empowerment incomplete. Financial literacy, access to safe savings, affordable credit and market\u2011linked livelihoods turn knowledge into autonomy. Programmes that combine skill training with linkages to markets, digital payments and tailored microfinance produce stronger shifts in household decision\u2011making and mobility than education alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Affordable and accessible health services reinforce families\u2019 ability to keep girls in school and women in work. Social protection reduces immediate economic incentives for child marriage and mitigates risks that push women into exploitative labor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Long\u2011standing gender roles, caregiving burdens and mobility restrictions blunt the returns to both schooling and work. Evidence from community studies shows that increases in education and employment translate into empowerment only when accompanied by normative change: men\u2019s engagement in caregiving, community endorsement of girls\u2019 education, and public messages that contest honor\u2011based controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Education starts the transformation; inclusive finance, social protection and conscious efforts to change norms complete it. Together, these levers reduce vulnerability, expand choice and make equality sustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smile Foundation launched Swabhiman<\/a> in 2005 as a women\u2011and\u2011girl child empowerment programme. Over two decades it has evolved from safety and awareness activities into a multi\u2011sector, community\u2011anchored model that combines reproductive and child health outreach, nutrition awareness, entrepreneurship and livelihoods support, and digital and financial literacy training. Smile Foundation\u2019s public materials report a wide geographic footprint \u2014 over 400 active projects across roughly 25 states \u2014 and an annual reach of approximately 1.5 million beneficiaries across Smile\u2019s combined programmes, including a substantial share of women and adolescent girls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Core approaches:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The next morning, Sita wakes again at 4 a.m. The air is cool, the tap water colder. The house is quiet except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the ticking of her alarm clock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But this morning feels different when she\u2019s commuting. A new poster catches her eye \u2014 a government campaign on women\u2019s safety with helpline numbers bold and visible. A poster from Smile Foundation\u2019s Swabhiman hangs beside it, announcing a free health camp for women in her area. She remembers hearing about them from her neighbour \u2014 women who visited those camps said they learned how to manage nutrition, menstrual hygiene and even small savings. Upon returning home, she lies down, the ceiling fan hums again, steady and familiar. The world hasn\u2019t changed overnight, but it is changing through policies that protect, initiatives that empower and ordinary people who decide that respect and safety are not privileges, but rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomorrow at 4:00 AM, she\u2019ll wake up again. But now, somewhere between the streetlight and the sunrise, she knows she is part of something larger, a country slowly learning to stand up for its women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can be that person \u2014 by speaking up when it\u2019s uncomfortable, showing up when it matters, donating when you can and helping make the world a place where every woman, from the pre-dawn bus stop to the late-night return home, walks without fear and lives with dignity. Every small act builds into something vast and unstoppable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be that quiet revolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be her reason to believe again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Mother Teresa said,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be that shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be that voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be the courage others lean on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Before the city stirs, her work has already begun \u2014 unseen, unrelenting, essential.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15081,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-women-empowerment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15081"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-21-2025-02_19_11-PM-683x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhat the numbers whisper: The gender gap in everyday India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A positive shift is visible: Prevention efforts have multiplied and spread across regions.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Workplace harassment and career barriers<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Virtual harassment, AI\u2011generated deepfakes and technology\u2011fueled violence<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
In Assam, an influencer was reportedly targeted with explicit AI\u2011generated content allegedly created and monetized by an ex\u2011partner. Media coverage in July 2025 noted her large follower base and subsequent police action, highlighting how personal violations can quickly scale into public crises. The case highlights systemic vulnerabilities, revealing how existing mechanisms struggle to keep pace with AI\u2011driven harms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smilefoundationindia.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ChatGPT-Image-Nov-21-2025-04_51_02-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSafety concerns and harassment in everyday public life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Intersecting norms: Culture, caste, superstition and religion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
From schemes to systems: India\u2019s multi-pronged push for women\u2019s safety, education, and economic power<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Changing the narrative from birt<\/strong>h<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Economic and financial inclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Accessible health services<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Social norms and cultural change<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
What effective programmes do differently<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Swabhiman by Smile Foundation \u2014 community\u2011led health, livelihoods and agency for marginalised women<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
During the tea break, she notices a few men standing unusually still around a phone. They\u2019re reading how a group of school students exploited AI to produce inappropriate images of their female peers. One of them mutters, \u201cThis is terrifying.\u201d Another sighs, \u201cIf this feels this awful to read, I can\u2019t imagine how a woman must feel. This isn\u2019t okay\u201d. They head back to their desks, to the same familiar room, but it no longer feels the same. The usual conversations that objectified women taper off. Words are picked more thoughtfully. And when someone cracks an inappropriate joke, it\u2019s met with an immediate stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each of these people become a thread in the larger fabric of change. They remind us that empowerment isn\u2019t just policy or programmes; it\u2019s a daily act of humanity that multiplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n