India has a fairly extensive legal framework addressing crimes against women. From the IPC era to the newly introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS), the legislative intent has been consistent to strengthen protection mechanisms, streamline offences, and provide a more structured approach to crimes against women and children. In fact, the BNS introduces a dedicated chapter on such offences, signalling a renewed legislative priority in 2024. However, when we look at the ground reality the picture becomes more complex. As per the NCRB report a total of 4,41,534 cases of crime against women were registered during 2024, showing an decrease of  1.5% over 2023 (4,48,211 cases). The majority of cases under crime against women under IPC and BNS were registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or Relatives’ (1,20,227 cases, 27.2%) and  ‘Kidnapping and Abduction of Women’ (67,829 cases, 15.4%), followed by ‘Protection  of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO)’ (67,809 cases, 15.4%) and ‘Assault on Women with intent to outrage her modesty’ (48,303 cases, 10.9%). The crime rate registered per lakh women population was 64.6 in 2024 in comparison with 66.2 in 2023. This figure raises a difficult but necessary question despite stronger laws, why do such crimes continue to remain so high? The concern is not only about the existence of law, but about its effectiveness in deterrence, investigation, and conviction outcomes. A similar gap is visible in workplace protection frameworks under the PoSH Act, 2013. While the law mandates Internal Complaints Committees and preventive mechanisms, there is still no consolidated public data on nationwide implementation or effectiveness. Compliance often varies across organisations, and implementation quality depends heavily on internal culture rather than uniform enforcement. The intent of the law is clear but the consistency of execution remains uneven. Even in areas like reproductive health regulation under the PCPNDT Act, which aims to prevent sex-selective practices, the challenge again shifts from legislation to enforcement. Issues around monitoring diagnostic practices and ensuring uniform compliance across healthcare systems continue to be discussed within policy and legal circles. So my observation is We are not short of laws. We are short of law in action. And until that gap closes, legal reform will remain incomplete. I would be keen to hear perspectives from legal professionals, policymakers, and practitioners.