Thousands of junior doctors in India continued their nationwide protests on Monday, refusing to end their action demanding a safer work environment and swift justice for a fellow medic who was raped and murdered. The protests, which began nearly a week ago, have disrupted hospital services across the country.

Doctors have been staging demonstrations and refusing to treat non-emergency patients since the Aug. 9 killing of the 31-year-old trainee doctor in Kolkata. A police volunteer has been arrested and charged with the crime.

Women’s rights activists have highlighted that the incident underscores the ongoing issue of sexual violence against women in India, despite stricter laws implemented after the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi.

The government has urged the doctors to return to work while a committee is being formed to propose measures for improving the safety of healthcare professionals.

“Our indefinite cease-work and sit-in will continue until our demands are met,” said Dr. Aniket Mahata, a spokesperson for protesting junior doctors at the R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, where the incident took place.

In solidarity with the doctors, thousands of supporters of West Bengal’s two largest soccer clubs marched in Kolkata on Sunday evening, chanting “We want justice.”

Junior doctor groups in neighboring Odisha state, the capital New Delhi, and the western state of Gujarat have also indicated that their protests will continue.

Gita Gopinath, deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, told India’s Business Standard daily that workplace safety is crucial for increasing the country’s female labor force participation rate, which stood at 37% in fiscal year 2022-23.

“One cannot raise that (female participation) without ensuring safety at the workplace and safety of women in getting to the workplace. That is absolutely critical,” Gopinath said in the interview published on Monday.