Women's Safety NGOs in India: 14 Organisations and Our Open Invitation

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The short answer

Leading nonprofits for women's safety in India include SEWA, Breakthrough, Jagori, Safecity, Azad Foundation, Akshara Centre, SNEHA, Majlis, Swayam, Snehalaya, Maher, the Centre for Social Research, the Martha Farrell Foundation and Blank Noise. Between them they run crisis support, shelters, legal aid, safety audits and livelihood programmes. None has endorsed or partnered with Kavach; this list is an open invitation.

• None of the organisations listed has endorsed Kavach or partnered with us; this is an open invitation.
• Crisis support, legal aid, safe public spaces and an income of her own all shape whether a woman is safe.
• Five of the fourteen organisations are in Maharashtra: in Mumbai, Pune district and Ahilyanagar.
• We hope to pilot, co-design and audit streets with women's organisations, using only consented, anonymised data.
• In an emergency call 112; for support, the Women Helpline 181 and One Stop Centres.

This page is for people who run, fund or volunteer with women's organisations in India, and for anyone looking for an NGO that works on women's safety. It describes fourteen nonprofits whose work we respect, what each does and where, and sets out how Kavach would like to work with organisations like them.

Why does women's safety need more than a device?

Because most of what keeps a woman safe happens before and after an emergency, not during it. A siren or an SOS alert can help in the moment. But a woman also needs someone who will believe her, a lawyer who knows the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, a shelter if home is not safe, an income of her own, and streets that are lit and walkable.

The scale is large. The National Crime Records Bureau's Crime in India 2024 report, released in May 2026, recorded 4,41,534 crimes against women, and the largest single category was cruelty by a husband or relatives. Much of this harm happens at home, where a panic button is only one small part of the answer. The organisations below have spent years, often decades, building the rest: counselling, shelters, legal aid, safety audits and work.

Which NGOs work for women's safety in India?

Hundreds of organisations work on violence against women across India. The fourteen below are national or major regional nonprofits, grouped by the work they are best known for; most do more than one kind. Five are in Maharashtra. We checked each description against the organisation's own website and published reporting in October 2026, so contact them directly for current services.

Frontline support and shelters

• SNEHA (Mumbai). The Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action works on health in Mumbai's informal settlements, including Dharavi, Malwani, Turbhe and Bhiwandi. Its programme on preventing violence against women and children works with both communities and public systems, and it lists a crisis line on its website.
• Swayam (Kolkata). A feminist organisation working since 1995 to end violence against women, Swayam supports survivors, their children and their families through counselling, support groups and crisis helplines. It also runs community prevention work and keeps a directory of support services across West Bengal.
• Snehalaya (Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra). Founded in 1989 in Ahmednagar, now Ahilyanagar, Snehalaya began by working with women in the city's red-light area. Today it supports women, children and LGBT communities affected by trafficking, sexual violence, HIV and poverty, through shelters, helplines and rehabilitation projects.
• Maher (Pune district). Founded in 1997 by Sister Lucy Kurien at Vadhu Budruk near Koregaon Bhima, about 30 km from Pune, Maher runs safe homes for women, children and men in distress. It adds counselling, education, vocational training and community programmes across more than 90 villages.

Legal aid and rights at work

• Majlis (Mumbai). Co-founded in 1990 by the women's rights lawyer Flavia Agnes, Majlis is a team of women lawyers, social workers and activists providing legal representation, advocacy and training. Its Rahat programme offers legal, social and mental health support to women and children who have faced sexual and domestic violence.
• Centre for Social Research (New Delhi). Working since 1983 towards a violence-free, gender-equitable society, CSR runs a crisis intervention centre for women survivors, digital safety training, and training on preventing sexual harassment at work. It works across India and elsewhere in South Asia.
• Martha Farrell Foundation (Delhi NCR). Named after Dr Martha Farrell and continuing her work, the foundation counters sexual and gender-based violence, with a strong focus on safe workplaces. It trains Internal Committees under the workplace sexual harassment law of 2013 and has worked with women domestic workers in Delhi and Gurugram on their rights under it.

Safe public spaces, research and changing norms

• Jagori (New Delhi). Established in 1984, Jagori works with women in urban and rural areas on ending violence, rights and leadership. It started the Safe Delhi Campaign in 2004, has run women's safety audits in Delhi and other states, and offers counselling for women facing violence.
• Safecity (Red Dot Foundation). Launched in December 2012, Safecity lets anyone report sexual harassment and abuse in public spaces anonymously, then maps the reports to show hotspots. Red Dot Foundation, which runs it, uses the data in community workshops and to press institutions for change.
• Akshara Centre (Mumbai). Founded in 1995 by Nandita Gandhi and Nandita Shah, Akshara works with young people and communities to challenge gender norms and prevent violence. Its safe city work has included campaigns on women's safety at Mumbai's bus stops and on its trains.
• Breakthrough (several states). Breakthrough works with adolescents, schools, families and state governments to change the norms that limit girls and women, across nine states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Odisha. It is known for Bell Bajao, its 2008 campaign urging neighbours to ring the doorbell when they hear domestic violence.
• Blank Noise (Bengaluru). Started in 2003 by the artist Jasmeen Patheja, Blank Noise is a volunteer-led collective that uses public art and testimony to confront street harassment and the fear it creates. Its Meet to Sleep actions bring women together to rest in public parks.

Livelihoods and mobility

• SEWA (Ahmedabad and 20 states). The Self Employed Women's Association, founded in 1972 by Ela Bhatt, describes itself as India's largest national trade union centre for women workers in the informal economy, with about 37 lakh members. Its focus on full employment and self-reliance gives women the security that makes other choices possible.
• Azad Foundation (Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Chennai). Azad trains women from low-income communities as professional drivers through its Women with Wheels programme, begun in Delhi in 2008, and its partner Sakha places them in jobs. Women drivers open up a non-traditional livelihood and a safer ride for women passengers.

How does Kavach want to work with women's organisations?

As partners who know far more than we do about what women face, not as a sales channel. Kavach Core, our first device, is coming soon, so some of these can start now and others once devices ship.

1. Pilots with the women your programmes serve. Small, supported pilots with women who choose to take part, with your team deciding who is invited and how feedback is gathered.
2. Co-design with survivors' advocates. Your counsellors know where a safety tool helps and where it can be misused, for example by a partner who controls a woman's phone. We want that knowledge shaping our features and defaults before launch, not after.
3. Safety audits of streets and transport. Joining women's safety audits of bus stops, stations, markets and lanes, and taking the findings to the local bodies that can fix lighting and access.
4. Routing women to help that already exists. Making sure our app, packaging and guides point to 112, the Women Helpline 181, One Stop Centres and your own helplines, rather than presenting a device as the whole answer.
5. Training sessions. Sessions for your staff and community groups on safety planning, phone SOS features and the 112 India app, whether or not anyone buys anything.
6. Programme pricing for nonprofits. There is no fixed nonprofit price list; we will agree terms case by case, depending on scale and funding.
7. Insights only with consent. Any data from a programme would be shared only in anonymised, aggregated form, only with the consent of the women involved and only in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. We do not sell data or use it for advertising.

We will not use any organisation's name or logo without written permission, describe a conversation as a partnership, or ask women to share more data than a safety feature needs.

Where can a woman facing violence get help right now?

In an emergency anywhere in India, call 112, the single emergency number that works in all 36 States and Union Territories. For support that is not an emergency, the Women Helpline 181 is a 24-hour toll-free service in 35 States and UTs (all except West Bengal) and had assisted over 1.04 crore women by 30 June 2026.

One Stop Centres, run under the government's Mission Shakti programme, offer medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance and counselling under one roof. 991 were operational by 30 June 2026, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The organisations above can add counselling, legal advice and shelter. Our list of women helpline numbers and our guide to filing a Zero FIR explain the next steps.

How can a women's organisation contact Kavach about a partnership?

1. Go to the contact form and choose "Partnership, fleet or retail" under "What is this about?".
2. Tell us who you work with, where, and which of the ideas above interests you, or suggest something else entirely.
3. Or email corporate@kavachdevices.com. A person reads every message and normally replies within two working days.

We would also like to hear from organisations that think a device is the wrong tool for the women they serve; that view is just as useful to us. Elder-care groups can read our invitation to elder-care nonprofits. Legal references here are general information, not legal advice.

If you or someone near you is in immediate danger, call 112. It works across India.

Questions people ask

Which NGO helps women facing domestic violence in India?

Several do, depending on where you live. SNEHA works in Mumbai's informal settlements, Majlis offers legal and counselling support in Mumbai, Swayam supports survivors in Kolkata and Jagori runs a counselling helpline in Delhi. Anywhere in India you can also call the Women Helpline 181 or visit a One Stop Centre. In an emergency, call 112 first.

What is a One Stop Centre for women in India?

A One Stop Centre is a government-funded centre under Mission Shakti that gives women affected by violence medical aid, legal aid and advice, temporary shelter, police assistance and psycho-social counselling under one roof. The scheme began on 1 April 2015, and 991 centres were operational by 30 June 2026, having assisted over 15.20 lakh women.

Which NGOs work for women's safety in Mumbai?

Mumbai has several. Akshara Centre works with young people on gender norms and safe public transport. SNEHA works on preventing violence against women and children in informal settlements such as Dharavi and Malwani. Majlis provides legal representation and, through its Rahat programme, legal, social and mental health support to survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

Is there an NGO for women in distress near Pune?

Maher, founded in 1997 by Sister Lucy Kurien, runs safe homes for women, children and men in distress at Vadhu Budruk near Koregaon Bhima, about 30 km from Pune. Snehalaya in Ahilyanagar district supports women and children affected by trafficking, sexual violence and poverty. In an emergency in Pune or anywhere in India, call 112.

Has any women's NGO endorsed Kavach?

No. None of the organisations named in this article has endorsed Kavach, tested our device or entered into a partnership with us. We list them because we respect their work and want to learn from organisations like them. If any partnership is agreed in future, we will say so clearly and only with that organisation's written permission.

How can a nonprofit partner with Kavach?

Use the contact form at kavachdevices.com and choose Partnership, fleet or retail, or email corporate@kavachdevices.com. Tell us who you work with, where, and what interests you, such as co-design, safety audits, training or a pilot once devices ship. Pricing for nonprofit programmes is agreed case by case. A person reads every message, normally replying within two working days.

Sources

1. PIB, Ministry of Women and Child Development: One Stop Centres and Women Helpline 181 (August 2026)
2. SEWA: Self Employed Women's Association
3. Jagori: What we do
4. Safecity, Red Dot Foundation
5. Majlis
6. SNEHA Mumbai
7. Maher
8. Martha Farrell Foundation

Checked on 3 October 2026. Helpline numbers and rules change, so confirm with the official source before you rely on them.

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