NCE Chairperson Urges Awareness of Women's Protection Laws

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Monday, 8 June 2026

Chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Vijaya Rahatkar addressed the participants on Women-Centric Issues and Empowerment Programs held in New Delhi. The workshop was organized by Akashvani aimed at highlighting the strong legislations passed in India in order to protect the rights and interests of women.

Vijaya called upon women to know about all such legislations and to make full use of their rights wherever necessary. She stated that equal consideration and equality in opportunities between men and women were essential steps in making any social development and empowerment possible.

Highlighting the importance of ensuring gender equality not just in terms of policies but also in practice, Vijaya stated that men and women should be guaranteed equality in respect and dignity for all.

Key Highlights:

• NCW urges women to know and exercise rights under protective laws
• POSH Internal Committees must foster safe, respectful workplaces
• Akashvani-NCW to launch legal awareness series for women’s empowerment

She pointed out various legal measures taken by India to empower women and highlighted the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013, as well as the acts of protection against domestic violence as examples of the law being a useful means of ensuring women’s safety. However, despite the availability of these measures, lack of awareness is a reason that prevents women from taking action.

Referring to important acts such as POSH Act 2013 and acts against domestic violence, she pointed out that there were many protections provided by the laws in favor of women in India. On the other hand, she also expressed disappointment as many women could not avail themselves of these protective measures owing to lack of awareness regarding their rights.

The Chairperson stressed the importance of Internal Committees under the POSH Act, and stated that the lack of legal awareness often acts as a barrier to reporting grievances and pursuing justice, making legal literacy a critical component of women’s empowerment.

She noted that preventive measures, programs for increasing awareness, and sensitizing employees are equally essential in making workplaces safe. In addition, she appealed to institutions to work on their infrastructure and set up processes in such a way that women feel confident about reporting their concerns.

While addressing the audience, Dhiraj M. Kakadia reiterated that there will be zero tolerance in making sure that a conducive and a respectful work environment is ensured. He ensures that all the complaints made by women will be handled fairly and justice will be done without any bias or delay.

Women should raise genuine issues without being afraid of any sort of retaliation. While highlighting the importance of laws for the protection of victims of sexual harassment Dhiraj emphasized on the misuse of such laws through filing of baseless complaints.

Akashvani, together with the National Commission for Women, plans to come up with a series on radio that seeks to increase the legal knowledge of the women. This move is intended to make the women more knowledgeable about their rights, the legal measures available, and the empowerment programs, he added.

With the wide coverage that Akashvani enjoys, the series is expected to enlighten people in regard to gender issues and enable the women to exercise their rights without fear or shame.