Govt. to introduce strict laws to deal with sexual offences
Chairperson of the Karnataka State Women’s Commission Manjula Manasa, on Monday, expressed displeasure over the lack of women’s help desks in police stations in Mysore district.
Ms. Manasa said that help desks were mandatory but the guidelines were not being suitably followed.
She was presiding over a meeting with senior district officials at the Deputy Commissioner’s office here.
Deputy Commissioner (in-charge) S. Palaiah, zilla panchayat chief executive officer P.A. Gopal and deputy director of Women and Child Development N.R. Vijay were present.
Ms. Manasa said the atmosphere in police stations was largely “unfriendly” for women who were allegedly subjected to humiliation by the staff.
“This attitude of the police must go and the officers must immediately attend to the complaints of women,” she said. She told Assistant Commissioner of Police Kavitha to convey the matter to her higher officers.
Ms. Manasa asked the deputy director of Public Instruction H.R. Basappa to write to schools asking them to install closed circuit television cameras as a safety measure in the light of the sexual assault of a schoolgirl. She directed the Department of Women and Child Development to hold awareness programmes to prevent crimes against women.
Stanley of Odanadi, an NGO, suggested that there should be reservation for victims of sexual assault, abuse and human trafficking. “It is sad that the system gives protection to the accused,” he said.
Stricter laws
Ms. Manasa said that the State government was planning to introduce strict laws to deal with sexual offences and crimes against women.
(The HIndu)
