Since the Hyberabad Police Commissionerate pressed 60 all-women “She Police” teams into service on December 24 last year, 23 people have been caught eve-teasing, stalking and harassing women in public places in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
What surprised the police the most were the varied profiles of these offenders. Some of them were teenage schoolboys and others were old men up to 58 years of age.
“Men fit to be grandfathers were found pestering young girls,” a said a lady police officer of the She team. Even well-educated men, with engineering and MBA backgrounds, were apprehended for harassing women in public.
She Police teams normally dress in ordinary clothing and look for men involved in eve- teasing at bus stops, malls, film theatres and women’s hostels.
They also raise awareness on eve-teasing by conducting campaigns at several places which include colleges, IT companies and construction sites, where unskilled woman labourers work.
So far, She teams have booked 24 cases under different sections and counseled 45.
Every Saturday, professional counseling take places in the Crimes Against Women (CAW) Cell situated in the office of the commissioner of the police. The offenders are asked to join teams in spreading awareness on women’s safety. Counseling is done under the guidance of Rama Rajeshwari, DCP-Malkajgiri, Usha, ACP (Crimes), Snehita, ACP (Cyber Crimes), and trained counselors in the presence of family members.
The future course of action for the force is to hold awareness programmes colleges for both men and women to inform them about how to report any incidence of abuse and related laws.
They are also urging institutions and establishments to display boards at work places about “Dial 100” and the “Cyberabad She Teams” Facebook page.
Advisories are being sent to the Road Transport Corporation to sensitise drivers and conductors to enable them to help a woman when she reports abuse in transit. Special drives are being planned to keep a tab on autos plying on the outskirts.
DH News Service
