By 
August 12th, 2025
Alexa Sporner
Asia Team Human Rights Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
New posters by local police in Gujarati have received massive criticism for promoting women’s safety with headlines like “Stay home to avoid rape” and “Attending late night parties can result in rape or gang rape”.
Citizens and activists spoke up about the posters saying that instead of implying fear and blaming victims for sexual assault committed against them, they should raise awareness on how to be more responsible and how women can protect themselves. Some pointed out that instead of making posters, they should make public spaces safer for women (Thacker, 2025).
In India women safety standards are improving and India’s Constitution guarantees the protection of women as equals before the law and against discrimination based on sex under Articles 14 and 15, and under Article 21 the right to life and personal liberty is guaranteed.
However, studies show that crimes and abuse against women have increased in the past decades. The cultural and accepted social norms still discourage women from speaking up against abuse committed against them because of the fear of cultural intolerance, and being shamed (Košir & Lakshminarayanan, 2025). Messages, such as the Gujarat posters can undermine the rights of women and indirectly implying the restriction of women and normalising violence against women.
The posters have since been removed, and a formal report has been filed for the unauthorised posters (Gariya, 2025). This incident underscores a much deeper concern and the challenges of women’s rights in India, where gender inequality and the cultural patriarchy lead to the restriction of women’s freedom.
References:
Government of India. (2024). The Constitution of India, Article 14. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Government of India. (2024). The Constitution of India, Article 15. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Government of India. (2024). The Constitution of India, Article 21. Ministry of Law and Justice.
Košir, S. & Lakshminarayanan, R. (2025) Female Literacy and Crime Against Women in India: Complex Trajectories and Correlations. International Social Science Journal 75(256) pages 261-473, accessed on the 11th August, 2025 <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/issj.12550>
Gariya, B. (2025) ‘Attend Late Night Parties, Get Raped’: Gujarat Traffic Police Posters Spark Outrage, Forced to Remove After Public Backlash. Republic World, accessed on the 11th August 2025 <https://www.republicworld.com/india/attend-late-night-parties-get-raped-gujarat-traffic-police-posters-spark-outrage-forced-to-remove-after-public-backlash>
Thacker, H. (2025) ‘Stay Home To Avoid Rape’: Gujarat Traffic Police’s Posters Ignite Public Outrage. The CSR Journal, accessed on the 8th August, 2025 <https://thecsrjournal.in/stay-home-to-avoid-rape-gujarat-traffic-polices-posters-ignite-public-outrage/>
