Journalism of Courage
In view of the rising crime against women,the state home department and the women and child welfare department have joined hands to set up 105 counselling centres in at least three police stations in every district. These centres will not only help women file complaints at police stations but also provide them legal aid and counselling.
Home department officials have received a response for setting up 51 centres across the state,while proposals for 54 centres are awaited. We have initiated this drive to help women register complaints as many crimes go unreported for fear of going to police stations. Counselling centres will help bridge the gap, said an official from the women and child welfare department.
The department is coordinating with NGOs to set up the centres. Victims can first report their cases to the counselling centres and the members will help them register a complaint or even try to sort out the matter, said the official.
With 54 proposals having received a green signal,the onus is on the police stations in these areas to provide land for setting up the centres and thereafter the NGO working in the area will be selected for operating the centre. Of the 51 centres selected,five are yet to get land,added the official.
A similar drive was initiated in Mumbai,where the crime branch had independently set up counselling centres in the wake of rising instances of women being harassed by family,friends and acquaintances. Depending on the area and pattern of crime,we had set up the centres and got a good response. Police stations in Dharavi,Sakinaka and Malwani saw a lot of complaints and the centres helped them, said officials from the home department. In Pune,as of now,the proposal has been finalised for Junnar taluka.
Home department officials said these centres are aimed at taking the load off police station personnel,who currently have to act as mediators in cases like family disputes leading to harassment of women. These centres counsel the parties involved and tell women about the legal options they have and how they can register the complaint, said the official.
According to a Government Resolution issued on June 27 last year,these centres will be fully operational by the end of this year. While some police stations in the district will have a minimum of three counselling centres,the sensitive areas can have up to four.
At present,two counselling centres have been mooted for Pune,three for Satara,four for Sangli,four for Kolhapur and one in Ahmednagar in the division.
