IIT Madras-led multi-institute study highlights role of women police officers in tackling crimes against women

IIT Madras led multi institute study brought out the critical role women police personnel can play in guaranteeing justice for victims of gender-based crimes in India. 

The study further said that unofficial conflict resolution methods were not to be depended upon, as they can erode long-term legal accountability.

Responsiveness

The study also tried to look into if a higher percentage of women in Indian police forces results in better institutional responsiveness, better justice outcomes, and increased trust among victims of gender-based crimes.

Public and private

Gender-based crimes against women have been documented to occur in both public and private settings in India.

These crimes often remain undetected owing to social stigma, fear, and the intimate nature of domestic abuse, it often remains undetected. 

Women are still underrepresented in Indian law enforcement despite policy initiatives. According to the Bureau of Police Research and Development, women constituted only 11.75 per cent of India’s police force as of 2022.

Discussions

The researchers conducted pan-India focus group discussions involving law enforcement personnel and validated their findings with criminologists, psychologists, social workers, and advocates.

Publishing

The findings were published in Systems Research and Behavioral Science (https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.70019), a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal that publishes research on systems thinking, complexity, organisational studies and behavioural science to address real-world social, management, and policy challenges.

Authors

The paper was authored by Prof. Kandaswamy Paramasivan from IIT Madras, Prof. Thangatur Sukumar Hariharan from T A Pai Management Institute Bengaluru, Dr. Nabila Khan from IIM Lucknow, and Mr. S. Thejaswin from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu.

Key findings

Prof Kandaswamy Pramasivan, a retired IPS officer and currently a Professor of Practice in Department of Management Studies and Data Science and AI at IIT Madras spoke about the main findings of the study. 

'We found that greater participation of women in policing improves institutional responsiveness towards victims of gender-based crimes and encourages higher reporting rates by fostering greater victim trust.' 

Women police officers were also found to influence organisational culture positively by bringing a more empathetic and caregiving approach to policing, said Prof Kandaswamy.

Significance

Dr. Nabila Khan, Assistant Professor at IIM Lucknow and co-author of the research spoke about the significance of the study.

The research brings out the need to balance empathetic and victim-centric resolution mechanisms with formal legal accountability to ensure sustainable justice outcomes, said Dr Nabila.

Meaningful reform therefore requires not only greater recruitment of women into policing, but also leadership opportunities, specialised training, institutional support, and accountability frameworks that enable women officers to contribute effectively to justice delivery and public trust, said Dr Nabila.

About the study

Prof. Thangatur Sukumar Hariharan, Associate Professor at T A Pai Management Institute in Bengaluru spoke about the study.

'Our study also cautions against what we call the Alternative Dispute Resolution Paradox (ADR paradox).' 

There appears to be a tendency among some women police officials to encourage alternate dispute resolution rather than formally registering a complaint, often out of a concern that victims—especially married women—should not lose their conjugal and family lives because of a criminal case, he said. 

While this approach may be intended to preserve family stability and reduce the burden on law-enforcement agencies, it can also embolden repeat offenders in gender-based crimes if used indiscriminately, he said.

Therefore, ADR should be applied judiciously, and the victim’s free will must remain paramount, he said. 

If the victim prefers formal complaint registration over ADR, that preference should be respected and acted upon, he said.

Framework

S. Thejaswin from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu said advancing women's roles in policing is not just a matter of hitting affirmative action quotas, it is about building an institutional framework that citizens can safely rely upon.

Their research shows that an increased presence of female officers provides survivors of gender-based violence with a crucial layer of psychological comfort, directly elevating reporting rates, he said.

Sensitise

The researchers noted that although feminist legal scholars have criticised ADR mechanisms in cases involving serious gender-based crimes, such approaches may still help sensitise police personnel towards victim needs and support informed judgment in specific situations involving counselling, repeat offenders, and victim rehabilitation.

Encouraging participation

The study also observed that several affirmative policy measures, including reservation mandates, government recruitment orders, maternity leave provisions, childcare leave, and improved access to healthcare, have helped encourage greater participation of women in policing over the years.

Specialized training

Researchers also brought the requirement of specialised training for women police personnel in handling gender-based crimes, along with regular independent reviews of crimes against women, awareness campaigns, and improvements in conviction rates to strengthen public trust in law enforcement systems.

Also read - IIT Madras and Herbalife launch CoE on Plant Cell Fermentation Technology