Soon, a 24X7 centre to help female victims

THE CENTRE WILL CATER TO RAPE SURVIVORS, VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND PHYSICAL OR SEXUAL TORTURE

RANCHI: Jharkhand will soon get its first 24x7 one-stop facility for female victims at the Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS).

The centre will cater to the needs of rape survivors, victims of domestic violence and physical or sexual torture by providing immediate psychiatric treatments, counselling, legal aid and police assistance to help them recuperate.

“The necessary infrastructure for the facility is ready. We are planning to inaugurate it by October 14,” said Dr Subhash Soren, director of RINPAS.

Jharkhand, at present, lacks any such facility even though crimes against women have surged in the state over the past years.

There is a trauma centre at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi, but it has only 12 beds and caters to all patients suffering from trauma, irrespective of gender.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1,057 rape cases were recorded in Jharkhand in 2015. In 2014, 1,044 such cases were reported. A total of 1,538 cases of dowry were reported in 2014 which increased to 1,552 in 2015.

“Female victims need medical attention and mental health is an important part of it. Spreading awareness about the centre is also very important to make sure that the targeted women get to know about the facility,” said Dr Siddharth Sinha of RINPAS.

The centre at RINPAS will also have a lawyer for providing legal guidance to the women, said Soren. He said initially the facility would have around five beds which would be expanded in the future.

“Besides psychiatric treatments, the patients will also be given basic medical attention,” said Soren.

He said once the centre starts functioning, RINPAS will also provide pick-up facilities from home. However, for introducing this facility, RINPAS would need more manpower, he added.

The initiative is being spearheaded by the state women and child welfare department which also has plans of setting up similar centres in all the 24 districts of Jharkhand, department officials said.

State women and child welfare director Ravindra Prasad Singh said the comforts of the centre are likely to encourage women to speak up to the police during investigations.

“The police can go to the centre and take the victim’s statement. She will be more comfortable at the centre and will be able to share her experiences without much reluctance,” said Singh adding that a lady police constable would be deployed at the facility 24x7.

In the next phase, the department is planning to set up similar facilities in Jamshedpur and Dumka, he said.