The Telangana government on Saturday (March 7, 2026) launched the ‘Stand With Her’ campaign, with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy urging young people to become ambassadors for women’s safety and stressing that protecting women is a shared social responsibility.
The ‘Stand With Her’ initiative, launched by the Women Safety Wing of the Telangana Police, is a prevention-focused campaign that frames violence against women as a continuum, beginning with everyday acts of disrespect such as staring, sexist remarks, stalking, online harassment and groping, which can escalate into more severe forms of abuse.
The campaign seeks to shift the narrative from women being responsible for protecting themselves to recognising that women’s safety is a collective social duty. Its central message urges men to move from silence to intervention and visible leadership in challenging harassment.
Speaking at the launch event on ahead of International Women’s Day, the Chief Minister said the State government was committed to strengthening systems that protect women both online and offline. He said the Telangana police’s women safety wing operates in line with UNICEF guidelines and extended his greetings to women officers serving in the force.
Mr. Reddy said celebrating women’s achievements should not be limited to a single day. He noted that the Congress tradition has long provided women with leadership roles, citing Pratibha Patil, Indira Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Meira Kumar as examples of women who have held powerful positions in public life.
He added that while women are often described as symbols of strength, many still do not feel safe in society, which he said was deeply concerning. “That is why the Telangana government has expanded the role of protecting women not only in physical crimes but also in cyber crimes,” he said, noting that threats to women’s safety increasingly occur in digital spaces.
The Chief Minister said government initiatives alone cannot ensure safety and called for greater social accountability. He said people must react to harassment faced by any woman in the same way they would respond if it happened to a family member. “Women’s safety is not only the responsibility of the government but of society as a whole,” he said.
Highlighting economic empowerment measures, Mr. Reddy said areas such as Hitec City are not only home to global companies like Microsoft, Infosys and Wipro but also spaces where women entrepreneurs are supported. He pointed to the three-acre site allotted for Indira Mahila Shakti stalls where women can sell products and earn a livelihood.
He said the government ensured that women have the right to choose their professions and workplaces, while also emphasising that many key roles in the administration and police are already being handled by women officers and bureaucrats.
Calling on the younger generation to take the lead, the Chief Minister said Telangana’s youth should be brand ambassadors for women’s safety. “Do not turn a blind eye to any atrocity against women,” he said, adding that social and online crimes against women are rising and the cyber crime wing is working to address these threats.
Telangana Additional Director General of Police for Women Safety, Charu Sinha, said the initiative marks the beginning of a year-long campaign aimed at addressing sexist behaviour in everyday spaces, including homes, educational institutions, public transport, streets and workplaces.
She explained that the programme is designed as a men-led platform encouraging boys and men to become “upstanders rather than bystanders”. The campaign, she said, is not about protecting women but about ensuring respect for them.
According to Ms. Sinha, the initiative will follow a structured monthly format, with each month focusing on a specific theme through awareness drives and digital information campaigns.
Zelalem Birhanu Taffesse, chief of Field Office at UNICEF Hyderabad, said gender-based crimes often involve male perpetrators and highlighted the need to address deeply rooted social attitudes.
He said many capable women who perform well academically face discrimination in workplaces due to sexist environments, forcing some to abandon their career aspirations. He stressed that gender equality must begin at home by teaching children to respect all genders equally and by demonstrating those values in everyday life.
Mr. Taffesse also called for equal pay for equal work, particularly in the private sector, and said hiring decisions must be based solely on capability. He added that even everyday behaviours, including the way women are spoken about within families, shape attitudes in society.
Yogita Rama, Principal Secretary, Higher and School Education Department, said education must go beyond academic success. “The goal of education is not only to produce successful professionals but better individuals,” she said. “If our institutions only sharpen minds and do not shape character, then something is seriously wrong.”
Published – March 07, 2026 01:46 pm IST
