UPSC Mains 2014 GS Paper 4 Q8: model answer
We are witnessing increasing instances of sexual violence against women in the country. Despite existing legal provisions against it, the number of such incidences is on the rise. Suggest some innovative measures to tackle this menace.
What the question wants
Suggest innovative measures, beyond existing laws, to tackle rising sexual violence against women.
How to structure it
Why laws are not enough, then new ideas.
- Context
- Gaps
- Innovative measures by domain
How to think it through
Nirbhaya 2012, Criminal Law Amendment 2013 (Verma Committee), POCSO 2012; BNS 2023. Gaps: low conviction, under-reporting, victim blaming, police insensitivity, slow trials. Innovative: One Stop Centres (Sakhi), safe city projects (Nirbhaya Fund), 112 ERSS, panic button on phones, women help desks in police stations, gender sensitisation in school curriculum, men as allies campaigns, community watch, street lighting audits (Safetipin), fast track courts, forensic kits, self-defence training, media campaigns, workplace ICCs under POSH 2013.
Model answer
After the Delhi gang rape of December 2012, the Justice Verma Committee received about 80,000 suggestions in a month and the law was strengthened in 2013. Yet such crimes continue. Laws punish after the crime; what is needed now is prevention and a change in mindsets.
Why existing laws are not enough
- Under-reporting because of shame and fear.
- Victim-blaming by family, society and even police.
- Slow trials and low conviction rates.
- Unsafe public spaces: dark streets, empty buses.
Innovative measures
- Safety audits of streets using apps like Safetipin, with lights and CCTV where women say they feel unsafe.
- One Stop Centres (Sakhi) for medical, legal and police help under one roof.
- Women help desks in every police station and more women officers.
- Panic buttons on phones linked to the 112 emergency system.
- Gender education in schools, teaching boys respect and consent early.
- 'Men as allies' campaigns using sports stars and film actors.
- Fast-track courts and forensic kits to speed up evidence.
- Internal Committees at workplaces under the POSH Act, 2013.
The best measure is the one that makes the crime unthinkable, not only punishable.
Draw: A cycle: prevention → reporting → investigation → justice → rehabilitation, with an innovation at each stage.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
Nirbhaya 2012, Justice Verma Committee, Criminal Law Amendment 2013, POCSO 2012, BNS 2023, Safetipin, One Stop Centres, 112 ERSS, women help desks, Nirbhaya Fund, POSH Act 2013, fast-track courts.
Where most answers lose marks
- Repeating existing laws instead of the 'innovative measures' the question asks for.
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Fresh examples from current affairs
Supreme Court: no prior approval under Section 17A needed to probe a bribe demand
In a judgment of 16 October 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices S.V.N. Bhatti and N.V. Anjaria held that investigating a bribe demand by a public servant does not need prior approval under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Asking for a bribe, the court said, is not part of discharging official duties.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Sections 7, 7A, 17A and 19 of the PC Act. · Mains GS-II/GS-IV: honest officers versus accountability.
19 Oct 2026Learn the concept
Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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