Soon, one-stop centre for women in distress

IN THE OFFING Women and child welfare dept starts training officials, central govt funds awaited

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government has started the process of setting up Nirbhaya Centres across the state for victims of crime against women. These centres would act as onestop crisis management points for women in distress.

If officials of the state women and child welfare department are to be believed, the training of officials would begin by the end of this month and the centres would be set up soon after the state receives a grant from the central government.

Principal secretary, women and child welfare, Renuka Kumar, said, “Doctors, police officers and staff of the women and child welfare department, along with other officials associated with the centres need to undergo an extensive training. Even while we await the sanction from the central government, we will move ahead with the training. The recruitments and other process will start soon.”

The centres would be set up in government hospitals and would provide medical assistance, legal aid, counselling and shelter facilities to the victims along with any other assistance that the victim may need.

There would be provisions of registering FIRs from the same centres.

“It has been observed that victims often refrain from visiting police stations. In many cases, they are alone with no one to support them in their time of distress. In such a case, these centres would extend all possible assistance and help them cope with the situation,” said additional director general of police Sutapa Sanyal.

Proposed by the central government, the centres were named Nirbhaya Centres as a salute to the victim of December 16 Delhi gangrape.

In UP, the centres would be set up first in Lucknow and other districts would follow soon, said an official of the department, adding that starting these centres would be a litmus test for the department as it had failed to utilise funds sanctioned by the central government in the past.

A similar project proposed years ago was the setting up of state commission for children.

While the other states have already set up these commissions, they are yet to be fully functional UP, despite many court orders.