<p>Women in every society face various forms of physical, psychological and economic exploitation, often leading to their marginalization and exclusion from social and cultural life. This study attempts to explore the trends and patterns of crimes against women (CAW) in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir over five years (2018–2022), highlighting spatial and temporal variations across districts. Unlike previous studies that focus on individual crimes or socio-economic factors, this research employs advanced spatial analysis techniques, including Moran’s I for spatial autocorrelation and Getis-Ord Gi* for hotspot detection, to examine the clustering and spillover effects of crimes such as rape, dowry deaths, and cruelty by husbands or relatives. The findings indicate distribution of CAW, with districts like Baramulla, Srinagar, Jammu, and Budgam continuously recognised as hotspots, while Pulwama and Rajouri have recently exhibited rising crime rates. This indicates that CAW is no longer confined to a limited number of districts but is dispersed throughout the region. By integrating geographical distribution, temporal trends, and the region’s unique socio-political context, this study provides actionable insights for region-specific crime prevention policies and a nuanced understanding of how spatial dynamics influence women’s safety.</p>