India, Aug. 28 -- Going beyond the reported crime stats, a national index on women safety has found that as many as 40% of women in India's urban areas feel "not so safe" or "unsafe".

The National Annual Report and Index on Women's Safety, NARI 2025, is based on views of 12,770 women across 31 cities covering all states.

It reported that 7% of women said they faced harassment in 2024, with those aged 18-24 highest at risk. This is 100 times the figure of reported cases of crime against women as per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of 2022.

The harassment included staring, catcalling, lewd comments, and touching, on the streets. Inadequate infrastructure, poor lighting, and inefficient public transport were blamed.

Among...