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New research informs measures to address gender-based violence in India

Published

Published on 8 July in Science, the findings suggest potential of gender-targeted police reforms in tackling crimes against women.

New research* from Akshay Mangla, Associate Professor in International Business at Oxford Saïd, has found that case registration of crimes against women in India increases significantly in police stations with dedicated women’s help desks (WHDs).

The study, co-authored with Dr. Sandip Sukhtankar and Dr. Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner from the University of Virginia, took place in Madhya Pradesh (MP), India, and involved the largest randomised controlled trial with a police agency to date. Of the 180 stations studied, those with WHDs registered 14.1% more cases of crimes against women, than those without.

India, which in a 2018 poll was named the 'most dangerous country in the world to be a woman', currently ranks 140 out of 156 countries on international measures of gender inequality, and is home to some of the world’s highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV). An estimated four in ten women in India report having experienced domestic violence in their lifetimes.

Women's help desks in a police station in india
A photo of one of the piloted WHDs

Police reform is believed to be instrumental in addressing this crisis; many crimes against women in India currently go unregistered, inhibiting women’s access to the justice system. Akshay and his co-authors partnered with the MP Police Department, from 2018 to 2020, to evaluate the impact of a program that randomised the introduction of WHDs in 180 police stations serving 23 million people. The WHDs were designed to make police officers more responsive to women’s security, offering a private space for women to make a complaint to an officer trained on gender sensitisation and case registration procedures.

Police stations in the study were randomly assigned into one of three groups:

  • control stations (without WHDs);
  • 'woman-run' (WHDs assigned female officers);
  • and 'regular' (WHDs that did not specify the gender of the assigned officer - the majority of which were run by men).

Over the study period, the research team found that police stations with WHDs registered 1,905 more Domestic Incident Reports (DIRs), which initiate civil court proceedings; and 3,360 more First Information Reports (FIRs), which initiate criminal proceedings. The increase in FIRs were driven entirely by WHDs run by women, highlighting the agency of female officers, who appeared to be particularly responsive to WHD training.

Drawing on the research findings, The Madhya Pradesh Police will now scale up the WHD program to 700 police stations serving most of the state. Akshay and co-authors will continue to work with the police, examining whether the observed changes in police behavior can be sustained and how the program adapts at scale.

 

Our results suggest that police agencies can better serve women by placing female officers on the frontline.

Akshay Mangla

Associate Professor in International Business

Commenting on the findings, Akshay said:

'Our results suggest that police agencies can better serve women by placing female officers on the frontline. But simply adding more women is not enough. To encourage responsiveness to women’s cases, frontline officers need continuous training, monitoring and support. We also recognize that gender-based violence has multiple dimensions and deep-seated causes. Case registration by the police is one small, but significant, step forward.'

Rishi Shukla, former Director-General of the Madhya Pradesh Police and former Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, said: 'Crime against women is a major challenge for the Indian Police. Sincere systematic, as well as innovative, responses have been made over the years to encourage women to reach out to the police in times of need.

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, we have been seeking evidence-based policy making and implementation. J-PAL's research on this subject is significant, as it highlights the improved quality of response of the police to women needing assistance. The rigorous research has come up with excellent policy inputs which would improve access of women to the police and mainstream reforms at the Police Station level.'

Find out more about Akshay’s research on his faculty profile.

Read the full study

 

*This research was funded primarily by the Crime and Violence Initiative of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), as well as the World Bank’s Sexual Violence Research Initiative, with supplemental funding provided by the University of Virginia’s Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation and the University of Oxford.