Punjab News/Punjab introduces series of steps to ensure women safety

Chandigarh, November 19, 2013: The Punjab Government has taken a series of steps to combat the menace of ‘crime against women’ besides ensuring complete safety of women in the state by highlighting the rights of women and information regarding mechanism for lodging complaint, important helpline numbers, website etc.
This was decided in a high level meeting held in view to discuss the required measures to be put in place for ensuring safety of women. It was also decided that Department of Women and Social Welfare will be the Nodal agency in the state and it will work as project implementation agency to ensure the safety and security of women. The focus areas would be creating awareness amongst masses through publicity campaign, holding seminars in educational institutions etc.  
Disclosing this an official spokesman said that the Punjab Government was contemplating to inculcate self defense training and confidence building courses for women in schools and colleges with an aim to ensure 100 percent safer environment for women. He said that it was also decided that some aspects of important provisions of IPC pertaining to domestic violence against women and children, harassment at work place act, protection of children from heinous crimes should also be included in the syllabus by the experts in a decent language to the fittest extent.
The spokesperson said that Punjab Police will remain observant in this regard and it will identify high risk areas like bus stands of girl colleges etc, which would be covered with police patrols on priority basis. He said that to infuse confidence amongst women and school/college going girls these women cops would launch a sustained patrolling, which would be deterrent to miscreants.
Deputing Women and Social Welfare Department as nodal agency the government has also directed it to install publicity boards highlighting rights of women under the amended provisions and information regarding the mechanism for lodging complaints, important helpline numbers, website etc. He said that these boards will be put in educational institutions, public spaces like bus stands, railway stations, parks etc. He said that these information boards would consist of important telephone numbers of concerned police authorities, women helpline at high risk points too in coordination with police department. He said that the meeting also decided to strengthen the concept of community policing by building constant coordination with NGOs, universities, general public from different walks of life for prevention of crime against women. He said that Municipal authorities and local bodies institutions would identify the old, abandoned building, unused spaces to prevent any crime since these were the locations, which could be used by miscreants for crime including crime against women.
Appreciating the results of 181, which is being monitored by an officer of the rank of ADGP, helpline the meeting also decided to further delivery of expeditious and effective response. He said that in case of any distress women can register their complaints on 181 to get a quick response and action.
The State Legal Service Authority will also play a vital role in this campaign of women safety by ensuring that all court premises in the state respectively have publicity boards to promote awareness on laws and legal provisions pertaining to crime against women.