Jilted girls can approach all-women police stations

By Radha Venkatesan

CHENNAI, AUG. 5. All-women police stations in the State will not just deal with dowry harassment cases. They will soon take action on all kinds of complaints from women-from domestic violence to eve-teasing and bigamy affairs of their husbands. And, ``jilted'' women and prostitutes too can approach the stations.

The stations will also take up complaints against men suspecting the fidelity of their wives and of female infanticide.

And, women can knock at the doors of these stations even in cases of street fights, missing girls and children. Orphans and victims of child harassment too can look for relief there.

A decision on expanding the role of the all-women police stations was taken at the recent conference of district Collectors and SPs chaired by Chief Minister, Ms. Jayalalithaa. According to official sources, the Government felt that these stations were now dealing with only dowry cases and that too not effectively. ``We need to recognise and tackle through the all-women police stations not only dowry harassment, but also a wide range of problems confronting women'', the sources said.

The Collectors and the SPs were also directed to inspect these stations at least once a month. And it was decided that new all- women police stations be opened to cover all sub- divisions in a span of two to five years.

The Government has also decided to reconstitute and reactivate district advisory committees comprising the Collector and the SP to deal with the ``whole gamut of crime against women''.

The sources said that in most police stations the complaints were not registered in a number of cases and there was a high rate of acquittals, particularly ``in respect of rape and dowry death cases''. This was ``clearly an indication of lack of earnest effort on the part of the police and prosecution''.

The Chief Minister, during the review of the Home Department in June, was said to have directed that each all-women police station should have one woman sub-inspector and two women constables.

At the review meeting, it was also decided that special re- orientation be given to all police personnel to cover gender issues and the existing women cops would be re-sensitised. And, steps would be taken to remove all obscene hoardings and publicise the role and functioning of the all-women police stations through the staff of the Social Welfare Department and village health nurses and self-help groups.

The all-women police stations have also been directed to attend promptly to complains and treat the complainants with courtesy. Besides, the existing counselling centres would be made an integral part of these stations.

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Section  : Southern States
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