The Ministry of Women and Child Development does not maintain centralized data on the number of women who have turned to prostitution and women beggars apprehended in the National Capital and other metropolitan cities.

‘Police’ and ‘Public Order’ are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. The responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens including investigation and prosecution crime against women rests with the respective State Governments and UT Administrations; they are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

The Government of India has enacted the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA) to address trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation and related offences. The Act defines prostitution in the context of commercial sexual exploitation and provides for penal action against those who facilitate, abet or profit from such exploitation. Implementation of the Act is primarily the responsibility of State Governments and UT Administrations.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) implements ‘Mission Shakti’, a scheme in mission mode which aims to strengthen interventions for women safety, security and empowerment across the country. Mission Shakti comprises of two verticals ‘Sambal’ for safety and security of women and ‘Samarthya’ for empowerment of women. Under ‘Sambal’, One Stop Centres (OSCs), provide integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence and those in distress, both in private and public spaces. It also provides an integrated range of services including medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance, psycho-social counselling to needy women. Further, Women Helpline (WHL) under ‘Sambal’, aims to provide 24x7x365 emergency and non-emergency response through telephonic short-code 181 to women, both in public and private spaces by linking them with appropriate authorities such as Police, One Stop Centres, Hospitals, Legal Services Authorities etc. Additionally, it provides information about women welfare schemes and programs. Women Helpline is operational in 35 States and Union Territories and also integrated with Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112). Under ‘Samarthya’, Shakti Sadan provides an Integrated Relief and Rehabilitation Home for women in distressful situations including trafficked women. It aims at creating a safe and enabling environment for the women in such difficult situations, to enable them to overcome the adverse circumstances. In order to strengthen transparency and accessibility in service delivery with respect to reliefs and rehabilitation to women in distress, MWCD launched Mission Shakti Dashboard, on 22.01.2025 (https://missionshakti.wcd.gov.in/). The dashboard hosts updated lists of Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), Nodal Officers of various schemes including OSCs, WHL, Shakti Sadan etc. The portal also consolidates all major helplines for easy public access. The Mission Shakti Dashboard data is also accessible via the Mission Shakti Mobile Application. A woman in distress can now book an appointment with her nearest OSC through both the portal and the mobile application.

The Government of India has set up a dedicated fund called the “Nirbhaya Fund” for implementation of initiatives aimed at enhancing the safety and security for women. All projects/ schemes under Nirbhaya Fund are demand driven. The fund provides financial assistance to Ministries, Departments, States and UTs for implementation of various projects such as ERSS-112, Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children (CCPWC), Safe City Project in 8 major cities namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai, Women Help Desks (WHDs) in police stations, Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs), Strengthening of DNA analysis, cyber forensic and related facilities in State Forensic Laboratories (SFSLs), Setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO courts to dispose of cases pending trial under rape and POCSO Act, etc.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Women and Child Development Smt. Savitri Thakur in Lok Sabha in reply to a question.

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