In a decisive intervention aimed at overhauling how law enforcement handles sensitive crimes, the human rights panel has issued comprehensive directives instructing police departments nationwide to immediately eliminate victim-shaming and moral policing in investigations involving gender-based violence.

The human rights commission emphasized that secondary victimization—often inflicted through hostile questioning, intrusive moral judgements, and derogatory remarks by investigating personnel—severely undermines justice, deters survivors from seeking help, and violates fundamental constitutional guarantees.

Ending Secondary Victimization

Addressing senior police leadership across state and central jurisdictions, the rights watchdog observed that despite statutory reforms and procedural safeguards, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence routinely face prejudice during their initial interactions with law enforcement.

Key concerns highlighted by the commission include:

* Invasive and Moralistic Interrogations: Scrutinizing the complainant's attire, social life, history, or presence in public spaces rather than focusing strictly on the evidentiary elements of the alleged crime. * Procedural Delays in FIR Registration: Hesitation or reluctance by local precinct personnel to file First Information Reports (FIRs) promptly, often attempting unwarranted mediation in serious criminal complaints. * Breaches of Confidentiality: Unauthorized leaks of sensitive information or failing to conduct survivor depositions within private, safe, and designated spaces as mandated by law.

"The trauma of surviving violence must not be compounded by an adversarial and judgmental institutional environment," the commission stated in its advisory, reiterating that statutory compliance must be paired with genuine institutional empathy.

Mandatory Sensitization and Trauma-Informed Policing

The panel mandated that state police academies and district training centres integrate rigorous, continuous gender-sensitization modules into both induction and in-service training curriculums.

Under the newly reinforced directives, supervisory officers will be held accountable if personnel under their command engage in victim-blaming conduct. The panel recommended institutionalizing standardized operating procedures (SOPs) centered on trauma-informed investigation techniques.

Furthermore, the advisory underscored the non-negotiable enforcement of the 'Zero FIR' mechanism—which requires any police station to record a survivor's complaint regardless of jurisdiction—alongside the mandatory presence of trained women officers during statement recording and legal assistance referrals.

Accountability and Institutional Oversight

Legal experts and civil rights advocates have welcomed the commission's directive, noting that systemic cultural reform within local police stations remains the crucial missing link in tackling gender-based violence in India.

The rights panel has requested compliance reports and institutional action plans from state home departments within an established timeframe, signaling that complaints regarding derogatory police conduct toward victims will face direct human rights scrutiny.