Women's Commission to press for harsher laws
Mysore, July 21, 2014, dhns: 23:42 IST
Police department came under fire, during a meeting convened to discuss the precautionary measures required to prevent sexual assaults against women, here on Monday.
“People, especially women are too afraid to enter police stations. Police department should reform itself, so as to ensure that every woman with a grievance can feel safe to enter police stations,” said, Manjula Manasa, Chairperson of State Women’s Commission.
The Supreme Court had issued guidelines that every police station should have a women’s desk with female personnel, so that women can approach the desk and lodge their complaints. However, the Police department in several parts of the State had not implemented this guideline, she said.
Legislations
The State cabinet will mull over harsher legislations against such acts, said Manjula Manasa, Chairperson of State Women’s Commission, here on Monday.
The Commission will assess the safety for women in the State and make some recommendations to the Government to strengthen the same, she said.
She said that a website would be launched on August 15, where women who have been victims of such acts can lodge a complaint online.
“It is a lie that acts of sexual violence are due to improper dress code. Even well-clad women have been sexually assaulted in rural areas,” she said, speaking at a meeting of officials of Mysore district in the city.
She added that she would hold talks with the department to enforce the guideline compulsorily in the district. There are a total of 46 police stations in the district, coming under the jurisdiction of Police Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police.
She also raised complaints about the undue delay exercised by the Police in registering complaints when women enter police stations. Personnel at respective police stations should come to the aid of the victims who approach them, she said.
Several representatives of non-governmental organisations also aired complaints against the Police and said that the police were “not responsive to women”.
They also complained that the women’s police station in the city was not cooperating well with the victims with respect to domestic cases. Muslim women who who want file for divorce, suffer a lot due to this, they said.
CCTV circular
Noting that instances of sexual violence was also being reported in schools, Manasa instructed the Deputy Director of Public Instruction, H R Basappa to issue a circular to various schools in the district, to explore whether it would be feasible to install CCTVs in the campus.
Basappa said that children’s clubs were being formed in all schools of the district, to raise awareness against such acts.
While taluk level protection officers have been sanctioned to the district under Domestic Violence Act, only four of them were present in the district, said Deputy Director of Women and Child Development department, N R Vijay. In the remaining taluks, Child Development Project Officers had taken additional charge as protection officers, he said.
“People, especially women are too afraid to enter police stations. Police department should reform itself, so as to ensure that every woman with a grievance can feel safe to enter police stations,” said, Manjula Manasa, Chairperson of State Women’s Commission.
The Supreme Court had issued guidelines that every police station should have a women’s desk with female personnel, so that women can approach the desk and lodge their complaints. However, the Police department in several parts of the State had not implemented this guideline, she said.
Legislations
The State cabinet will mull over harsher legislations against such acts, said Manjula Manasa, Chairperson of State Women’s Commission, here on Monday.
The Commission will assess the safety for women in the State and make some recommendations to the Government to strengthen the same, she said.
She said that a website would be launched on August 15, where women who have been victims of such acts can lodge a complaint online.
“It is a lie that acts of sexual violence are due to improper dress code. Even well-clad women have been sexually assaulted in rural areas,” she said, speaking at a meeting of officials of Mysore district in the city.
She added that she would hold talks with the department to enforce the guideline compulsorily in the district. There are a total of 46 police stations in the district, coming under the jurisdiction of Police Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police.
She also raised complaints about the undue delay exercised by the Police in registering complaints when women enter police stations. Personnel at respective police stations should come to the aid of the victims who approach them, she said.
Several representatives of non-governmental organisations also aired complaints against the Police and said that the police were “not responsive to women”.
They also complained that the women’s police station in the city was not cooperating well with the victims with respect to domestic cases. Muslim women who who want file for divorce, suffer a lot due to this, they said.
CCTV circular
Noting that instances of sexual violence was also being reported in schools, Manasa instructed the Deputy Director of Public Instruction, H R Basappa to issue a circular to various schools in the district, to explore whether it would be feasible to install CCTVs in the campus.
Basappa said that children’s clubs were being formed in all schools of the district, to raise awareness against such acts.
While taluk level protection officers have been sanctioned to the district under Domestic Violence Act, only four of them were present in the district, said Deputy Director of Women and Child Development department, N R Vijay. In the remaining taluks, Child Development Project Officers had taken additional charge as protection officers, he said.
