ISLAMABAD: On International Women’s Day, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised “Nari Shakti” (Women Power), and official communications emphasized “women-led development.” However, data from India reveals a more unequal reality. This year's theme is “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls,” but for millions of Indian women, these rights are not fully realized in their everyday lives.
The latest official crime data from India shows that violence against women remains widespread. The country recorded 445,256 crimes against women in 2022, or roughly 51 cases every hour, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
The largest category was cruelty by husbands or relatives, underlining how gender inequality is often most visible inside the home, not just in public spaces. The story of Kajal Sharma, the 27-year-old female SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) commando, beaten to death by her husband in January, is one of the most recent unfortunate cases of this, which got highlighted at the national level.
Another form of violence against women, which takes us back to the dark ages, is female infanticide. Since the BJP came to power, official statistics have either not been reported at all or have been grossly misrepresented.
In 2015, India's Ministry of Women and Child Development stated that approximately 2,000 girls are killed every day in the country, but the National Crime Records Bureau reported only 100 deaths due to infanticide per year.
There are reports of entire villages in India that have no women across generations. The government, however, chooses to keep mum over the matter and gaslight with slogans like “Nari Shakti.”
The inequality also runs through the economy and politics. In 2025, the World Economic Forum said India shows especially weak performance in women’s economic participation and political empowerment.
India’s own labor survey points in the same direction. The Periodic Labor Force Survey 2023-24 reported female labor-force participation at 35.6%, far below the male rate of 77.5%. Meanwhile, the World Bank’s "Women, Business and the Law 2024" report gave India a score of 74.4 out of 100, with poor marks on pay and parenthood-related protections.
So on a day of celebration and official praise, the irony is hard to miss: India speaks the language of women’s empowerment, but the numbers still show women fighting for safety, equal opportunity, and full rights.
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