Crime Charts vs Lived Fear: Reading the 2023 Crime Data for Women

When the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released its Crime in India 2023 report, much media coverage focused on the big numbers: about 4.48 lakh cases of crimes against women were recorded, yielding a crime rate of 66.2 per lakh women.

- TDG NETWORK

Cruelty by husband or relatives remained the largest category, followed by kidnapping and abduction, assault with intent to outrage modesty and rape. The chargesheeting rate was a respectable 77.6 %, but the conviction rate acrossall crimes against women languished around 21 %. The editorial notes that for rape it was just 22.7 %. One reason is poor investigation: forensic samples are often not collected on time, and courts note shoddy police work.Behind the tables lie stark realities. Helpline workers point out that many women never report domestic violence or harassment because they fear retaliation or economic ruin. The NCRB does not capture “non-crimes” like online harassment and deepfake abuse, which have become common. When crimes are reported, delays in trials—sometimes over a decade—deter survivors. There are glimmers of hope: Odisha’s special investigating units and forensic improvements have reportedly pushed conviction rates to 41% for crimes against women in early 2025. Activists want such best practices replicated nationwide.

Consider two very different experiences. In rural Bihar, a woman facing repeated domestic abuse tries to seek help from the nearest One Stop Centre. It is located at the district headquarters, more than 40 km away, and operates with skeletal staff and no dedicated transport. In practice, she ends up depending on local panchayat mediation, which too often reinforces patriarchal norms instead of offering meaningful protection or redress.