Mumbai: Strong laws alone cannot ensure the safety of women and children unless they are backed by effective policing, speedy investigation, stronger forensic systems and dedicated gender-responsive budgeting, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Legislative Council Member Dr Neelam Gorhe said on Thursday.

Reacting to the alleged gang rape and murder of a 16-year-old girl in Delhi’s Swaroop Nagar area, Gorhe demanded a time-bound investigation and speedy justice for the victim, along with stringent punishment for those found guilty.

Expressing concern over the reported involvement of three minors among the four accused, Gorhe said the incident highlighted the need for a deeper examination of the influence of violent and sexually explicit content on social media, substance abuse and the alleged use of minors by criminal elements.

“Having laws alone is not enough. Investigation, forensic infrastructure, prosecution and the judicial process must be made stronger and faster to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice without delay,” she said.

Gorhe said women’s safety must become an integral part of development planning and called for mandatory gender-responsive budgeting by municipal corporations, municipalities, zilla parishads and rural local bodies.

“Development is not merely about roads, bridges and buildings. Adequate street lighting, functioning CCTV cameras with continuous monitoring, safe public transport, women safety wardens, regular police patrolling, mapping of safe routes, rapid-response mechanisms and effective grievance redressal systems must also be treated as essential components of development,” she said.

She said preventive measures should also focus on adolescents through awareness programmes on law, digital responsibility, mutual respect and personal safety, while parents need to be sensitised to emerging risks associated with social media and substance abuse.

Gorhe pointed to her participation in the ‘She is a Change Maker’ national capacity-building programme for women elected representatives, organised by National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar in Faridabad, Delhi-NCR, on September 7 and 8. She said she had raised issues concerning gender-responsive governance and gender budgeting at the programme.

According to Gorhe, funds allocated by the Union government for women’s empowerment must effectively reach municipal corporations, district councils and rural local bodies and translate into measurable improvements in women’s safety.

She called for local bodies to make dedicated budgetary provisions for women’s safety, healthcare, public transport, public toilets, street lighting, CCTV surveillance, helplines and emergency response systems.

Gorhe also called for effective implementation of provisions relating to serious offences against women and children under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. She said useful provisions from Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Disha’ initiative and Maharashtra’s ‘Shakti’ Bill, including time-bound investigations, special courts, trained prosecutors and faster forensic reporting, should also be examined at the national level.

She demanded time-bound investigations in serious cases involving women and children, early filing of charge sheets, day-to-day hearings before special courts, legal and psychological support for victims’ families and witness protection.

Gorhe said she would submit separate representations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, and pursue the matter for concrete action.

Recalling an emotional episode at the women representatives’ conference, Gorhe said a woman elected representative had narrated the ordeal of her doctor daughter after she was subjected to sexual violence. The account, she said, left women representatives in the gathering in tears.

“No parent should ever have to endure such pain. Governments, local bodies, police, the judiciary, parents, civil society organisations and the media must work together, rising above political differences, to prevent such tragedies. Our cities must become not merely developed, but genuinely safe for women and children,” Gorhe said.