Shimla, Feb 12 (IANS) Looking to promote campus safety, institutional accountability, and empowering young women in higher education, the National Commission for Women (NCW) hosted a state-level consultation on safety of girls in higher educational institutions on Thursday in Shimla, an official said.

NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar said that the university administration should ensure that the internal committee is not limited to papers only but is practically active.

She emphasised the need for redressal of complaints with transparency, accountability and confidentiality, saying that this instils confidence in female students that their institution stands with them — and this confidence is the hallmark of a safe environment.

Underlining the need for safety, Rahatkar said, “When a daughter steps into a college or university, she does not come merely to study. She comes with dreams — dreams of becoming self-reliant, dreams of doing something for her family and her country.”

She also highlighted the contribution of female students and said, “Today, the rapid transformation of India’s landscape is decisively driven by educated daughters. Emerging from universities and colleges, these very daughters are today innovating in scientific laboratories, shaping policies in civil services, generating employment through startups, and becoming the backbone of the nation in the Army, police, Judiciary, and academia.”

“The same daughters who once struggled for access to education are now leading in ISRO’s mission teams, AI and technology research, medical and public health systems, and grassroots governance,” she added.

In a post on social media platform X, Rahatkar said the objective of the consultation in Himachal Pradesh was “to discuss existing challenges, assess the institutional system, review the current status of safety measures for women, and work together among stakeholders”.

The consultation included senior officials from the state police, representatives from the state administration, university vice-chancellors, registrars, deans, principals of higher education institutions, senior professors, members of POSH Internal Committees, lawyers, legal experts, and student leaders.

“During the consultation at Bachat Bhawan in Shimla, Vice-Chancellors and senior educationists suggested that awareness programmes, gender sensitivity training, student-teacher dialogue forums and regular internal committee review meetings should be institutionalised in the campuses,” a statement said.

Emphasis was also placed on developing clear standard operating procedures at the university level, making grievance mechanisms more accessible through digital channels, and strengthening hostel and campus security arrangements.

–IANS

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