With an average of three rape cases along with multiple cases of domestic, digital and psychological violence against women on a daily basis, Delhi has become one of the most unsafe cities for women. The 2023 National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data highlights that Delhi has topped the chart in terms of incidence of violence against women for the third consecutive year. But still, the statistics only show the tip of the iceberg when the real problem lies in the number of unreported cases. 

It is most certain that Delhi witnesses multiple cases of women being thrashed and harassed both indoors as well as outdoors in every alternate household. Every mohalla has its own story of violence against women, from physical domestic abuse to eve teasing. But more often than not, these cases are hardly reported, sometimes to save the complainant’s time and dignity while other times to ensure her safety. 

Recognising that the police and judicial apparatus cannot handle all of these cases every day, the Delhi government launched the Mahila Panchayat program in 2001 in Delhi NCR. The program is run by the Delhi Commission of Women in collaboration with various non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or community-based organisations (CBOs) that believe in working at the grassroots level.

Working of Mahila Panchayat

The Delhi NCR is divided into several wards and each ward has one or more Mahila Panchayats, depending on its population density. The work of the Mahila Panchayat is to guide the Mohalla on women-centric issues and generate public participation. The Panchayat solves the problem of women who cannot approach relevant authorities during the time of grievance. Mahila Panchayat also becomes a first-hand platform for day-to-day violence cases, ranging from severe burns to intercaste marriage.

The government sets up a Mahila Panchayat inside a relevant area in Delhi like an urban village, unauthorised colony or slum with a sizeable population of more than 5000. It is mainly a space for those not falling in the high-income bracket and are employed in unskilled or unorganised sectors. 

The few basic aims that navigate the working of a Mahila Panchayat in an area are: reducing violence against women by creating awareness, assisting women in legal procedures and educating them about their rights, generating grassroot level women participation, ensuring SOPs set up by the Women Commission are followed and lastly, maintaining a general record of crime against women for taking follow-ups.

Other than the NGOs, many volunteers and individuals working at the grassroot level are also connected in a network built by various Mahila Panchayats. Mostly, these volunteers are women from the same neighbourhood.

The composition of each Mahila Panchayat has one Panchayat Coordinator and two community workers. While the work of a coordinator includes managing the overall functioning of the Mahila Panchayat in the area, the community workers are responsible for assisting the Panchayat Coordinator. Usually, one Mahila Panchayat will always have more than two community workers. At times, there can be more than two workers depending on the decision of the commission. The capacity of Mahila Panchayat depends on the density of the area allocated to it.

Since each Mahila Panchayat is affiliated with at least one NGO, the commission ensures that the NGO submits a written Performance Undertaking. This also ensures that only the performing NGOs get the required funding to run a Mahila Panchayat. The commission, while choosing the correct NGO, audits each applicant to check for discrepancies minutely. 

Mahila Panchayat Toothless

Despite Mahila Panchayats being in very close proximity to the community, they cannot do much about the current situation of women in Delhi. This comes as the institution does not have any legal binding or authoritative power. All the orders released by Mahila Panchayat are non-binding on any citizen. This makes this program almost as effective as the work of a local NGO.

However, the role of Mahila Panchayat in assisting legal procedures on behalf of women and spreading awareness cannot be subdued. It is almost a universal truth that any effective action can come only through changing the values and social morality of the entire society.