Bihar govt to appoint 140 'protection officers' for women affected by domestic violence

Patna: The Bihar government has decided to appoint 140 full-time 'protection officers' across the state to support women affected by domestic violence more effectively.

The Social Welfare Department has decided to create a separate cadre under which sub-division, district and state-level protection officers will be appointed.

The decision has been taken in view of the rising number of domestic violence cases in the state.

Speaking to PTI, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, additional chief secretary of the Social Welfare Department and chairman cum MD of Bihar Women and Child Development Corporation, said, "The department has decided to appoint full-time POs to effectively deal with cases of domestic violence."

"The process will start soon. A separate cadre will be created for the purpose... More than 140 POs will be appointed across the state. Of them, 101 will be appointed at the sub-division level and 38 at the district level. A state-level PO will also be appointed," she added.

The decision has been taken as per the provisions of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, she said.

"The move aims to provide more effective protection of the rights of women, guaranteed under the Constitution, to victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto," Bamhrah said.

As per the Act, the PO will assist the magistrate in the discharge of his functions and the former will also be responsible to get the aggrieved person medically examined, if she has sustained bodily injuries and forward a copy of the medical report to the police station and the magistrate having jurisdiction in the area where the domestic violence is alleged to have been taken place, she said.

The PO will also ensure that the order for monetary relief under Section 20 of Domestic Violence Act, 2005 is complied with and executed, in accordance with the procedure prescribed under the existing law, she added.

The state government has already taken several steps to ensure justice for women facing domestic violence through the enactment ofthe Dowry Prohibition Act, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, among others, Bamhrah said, adding that different schemes also provide various kinds of services to women who face domestic violence.

"The Bihar government has also initiated the process of opening 11 additional ‘one stop centres (OSCs)’ in certain districts to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace more effectively. An approval letter for operationalisation and establishment of 11 additional OSCs in the state was recently received by the WCDC from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (Sambal Division)," she said.

The 'OSC' is a centrally sponsored scheme launched by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) in 2015 to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof in states and Union territories.

Currently, there are 39 OSCs operating in 38 districts of the state, with Patna having two.

With the additional OSCs, the total number will increase to 40. The additional 11 OSCs will be opened in Muzaffarpur, Gaya, East Champaran, West Champaran, Purnea, Katihar, Rohtas, Madhubani, Kaimur, Aurangabad and Jamui districts, Bamhrah said.

The number of cases registered and disposed of relating to crimes committed against women increased in 2022-23, when compared to the previous year, according to the Bihar Economic Survey report (2023-24) released by the state government last year.

"It can be attributed to increased awareness and integrated support provided by the OSC scheme of the government, as many women are coming forward to register cases with the authorities," the officer said.

Of the total 8,002 cases registered in 2022-23, 6,952 cases relating to offences against women were disposed of.

"Out of all cases of crimes against women in 2022-23, registration is the highest for domestic violence at 5,615, followed by dowry abuse (708), rape and trafficking case (147), second marriage (71), child marriage (48), cybercrimes (42), sexual harassment at workplace (23), and others (1,284). In 2021-22, out of a total of 7,030 cases, 6,002 were disposed of," the report added.