As More Women Move Into Hostels, What Data Says About Campus Safety

Recent protests at Lovely Professional University in Punjab, alleging that a female student had been raped inside a girls' hostel, have raised questions about their safety in colleges and universities.The university denied the allegation, calling the claims false and fabricated, while police registered a case and formed a special team to investigate the charges. While the allegation has not been established, it has brought the issue of women's safety on campuses back into focus.More Girls Are Living In HostelsThe number of girl students residing in hostels across India has increased over the years, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education.In 2015-16, around 18.6 lakh girls lived in hostels. By 2023-24, this number had risen to 25.2 lakh, an increase of nearly 36 per cent.As more women live away from their families to pursue higher education, campus and hostel safety remains an important concern.Sexual Harassment Cases Reported To AuthoritiesData from the University Grants Commission (UGC) shows that sexual harassment cases reported by universities and colleges have varied sharply over the years.In 2015-16, institutions reported 160 cases. The number rose to 257 in 2016-17 before falling to 49 in 2017-18.It then increased to 294 in 2019-20, fell to 40 in 2021-22 and rose sharply to 425 in 2022-23. The latest figure is about 166 per cent higher than the 2015-16 count.These figures cover cases reported by universities and colleges listed in the UGC data. They do not represent every incident of sexual harassment across India's higher-education institutions.However, the data also shows a rise in the share of reported cases recorded as disposed of. In 2015-16, 107 of 160 cases were disposed of, a rate of 66.9 per cent. In 2022-23, institutions disposed of 423 of 425 reported cases, taking the rate to nearly 99.5 per cent.UGC's aggregate data does not specify the outcome of each case or whether it led to police or court proceedings.The number of cases pending for more than 90 days also fluctuated. According to the figures being examined, it rose to 53 in 2019-20 before falling to one in 2022-23.