SPRF
On 25th March 2026, the Indian Parliament enacted the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Act, (2026), a move that reverses the previous progressive gains. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on 24th March 2026 and on 25th March 2026, by the Rajya Sabha, drawing attention to whether adequate deliberation and consultation were […]
Executive Summary Menstrual health is now seen as an important part of adolescent health, gender equality, and school participation. In India, even though more young people have improved access to menstrual hygiene products, many still face stigma, misunderstandings, and few chances to talk openly about menstruation. To help address these issues, the Social Policy Research […]
Background A quote often attributed to a Russian author, Dostoevsky, and quoted as a closing statement for prison reform and correctional facilities discourses, stands at the center of how prisons reflect on society. Fyodor Dostoevsky, in The House of the Dead (1862), states, “The degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering […]
The year 2030 was once envisioned with hope and anticipation. The global consensus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) carried the expectation of significant improvements in human development, reflected in greater equity, reduced poverty, and improved quality of life, fostering optimism that the world would become a more just and equitable place. As we approach […]
Introduction Closing 2025, the central government announced the implementation of the 4 labour codes, effective from 21st November, 2025. In an overhaul of the existing national labour regulatory system, the new labour codes rationalize 29 existing labour laws into 4 codes – the Code on Wages, 2019; Industrial Relations Code, 2020; Code on Social Security, […]
The prevalence of mental illness in prison settings is significantly higher than in the general population—approximately 3-6 times higher, as available evidence indicates (Andersen, 2004; Fazel & Danesh, 2002; Lamb & Weinberger, 1998; Taylor, 2010; Wilper et al., 2009). Substance use disorders (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, opioid, cocaine, benzodiazepines and other drugs) are the most frequently […]
Introduction The greatest challenge that we face in dealing with the juvenile justice system is to strike a balance by being both fair and just to the child in conflict with the law and the victim. The term ‘child’ is universally defined as any person under 18 years, as established by International law. As per […]
India has witnessed a major policy and social shift in its approach to menstrual health since the 2011 launch of the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This initiative marked a landmark attempt to destigmatise menstruation at a national level, by targeting adolescent girls aged 10–19 with subsidised sanitary […]
What Works for Working Women? A Comparison of Female Labour Force Participation in Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh Commentary Indian Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP)—defined as the percentage of women who either worked or were seeking work in the time frame in question—has attracted considerable debate for a long time now (Bhalla, Bhasin, & Das, […]
Introduction Crimes against women have always been and remain a pressing societal and policy concern in India, cutting across domestic, public, and digital spaces. Despite legislative reforms and institutional mechanisms, women continue to face violence in multiple forms—domestic abuse, sexual assault, trafficking, cyber harassment, and workplace exploitation—shaped by structural inequalities and gaps in enforcement. Recent […]