I Sri Keshab Swain, Guinness World Records Holder in Breaking Green Coconut most respectfully attract your attention towards the following few lines of my proposal for safety, security and protection of girls and women in Odisha.
Gender based violence against girls and women are fundamentally grounded in the discriminatory and prejudicial norms, attitudes and practices that exist in our society. Women encounter different kinds of violence across their life span starting with pre-birth elimination, early marriages and pregnancy, sexual abuse, domestic violence, forced prostitution, trafficking, dowry torture, rape including marital, denial of care, and abuse and neglect of elderly women. They are also subjected to discrimination and violence during conflicts and in areas of intense industrial activities leading to their displacement. The increasing trend of such incidents has shaken the collective conscience. Some of these crimes like molestation and sexual harassment are often justified and tolerated due to insensitivities that make both public and private spaces unsafe for girls and women. It is a disturbing fact that a significant proportion of such violent incidents are being reported from within households, educational institutions, shelter homes and such other places which were perceived to be safe for them.
The State accords high priority in addressing the issue of violence against girls and women through interventions at various levels. Mahila and Shishu desks, a convergent action between Women & Child Development and Home Department, a mechanism that has the potential of maximising the protection of women and girls, have been set up in all police stations. Integrated Anti-Human Trafficking Units have been established at the level of police ranges are being scaled up. The Integrated Child Protection Scheme has also been operationalized. Further, the Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme has been notified in 2012, includes provision for victims/survivors of assault, rape and acid attacks. Further, different redressal mechanisms under the statutory Acts and Laws have been established and gender sensitization trainings are being conducted. However, there is an urgent need for collective and concerted multi-dimensional and multi-pronged action by all stakeholders so that girls and women get to lead a safe, secure and dignified life.
SUGGESTED ACTIONS
- Promote gender sensitive strategies and actions for governance structures and non state actors, to ensure that girls and women are safe, secure and protected.
- Implement effectively laws and provisions addressing discrimination and violence against girls and women by strengthening and/or setting up comprehensive systems.
- Establish coordinated response mechanisms to address violence against girls and women.
Strategies and Action points
- Set up effective and responsive child protection structures to deal with sexual violence against girls.
- Expand the self-defense training programmes for girls in the education system and out of it. Place special focus on such training for girls with disability.
- Enhance the nutritional security of girls and women by ensuring access to adequate quantity and quality of food and have a special focus on anaemia control. Initiate public education and awareness campaigns in relation to gender disparity in food intake.
- Promote the health of adolescent girls through facility and community based initiatives with specific interventions to address sexual and reproductive health issues, early marriage and pregnancy.
- Adopt a zero tolerance policy to ensure safety of girls and women in educational institutions through appropriate measures. Have adequate women staff at appropriate levels in educational institutions where girls reside in large numbers. Develop protocols and monitor standards of care to check and report any abuse.
- Put in place and train sufficient numbers of investigators, prosecutors and judges for sensitive handling of sexual offences related to girls and women.
- Establish a designated unit in the Home Department to guide, monitor and support investigations pertaining to violence against girls and women.
- Mahila and Sishu Desk need to be functional at all police stations with one women police officer not less than the rank of Sub Inspector being posted in the Desk.
- An emergency toll free number ‘Hello Sister’ needs to be dedicated to register any forms of crime/violence against women. The Home Department need to constantly track the call records and respond to the call at the earliest.
- Fix time frames for expeditious completion of investigation and trial in matters of crime against girls and women.
- Establish specialized courts for speedy trials of sexual offences. Special ‘Lokpals’ need to be established to deal with cases of crime against girls and women.
- Promote in-camera proceedings in all judicial proceedings pertaining to sexual offences.
- Take up training and capacity building programmes to build a cadre of work force within key sectors like health and police to extend standardized and professional response to deal with gender based violence.
- Establish girls and women friendly help line, legal aid, counseling, shelter homes and such other services. Develop standard operating procedures for institutions towards effective response on complaints by girls and women.
- Work towards ensuring safety and security of women at workplace through establishment and effective functioning of Sexual Harassment Complaint Committees.
- Design and operationalize a Survivor Protection Scheme for girls and women victims/survivors of violence encompassing counseling, safe accommodation, rehabilitation and re-integration.
- Incorporate adequate safety measures based on gender assessment survey, gender audits of public transport terminals for safer mobility of girls and women.
- Take steps to set up basic amenities such as barrier free ladies toilets, restrooms and nursing corners and security features in the transport systems, highways, tourist and other public places.
- Incorporate features in urban and municipal planning that will complement efforts to ensure that public spaces are safe for girls and women.
- Establish partnerships with media to encourage responsible reporting towards safeguarding the dignity of girls and women.
- Promote safe and friendly workplace for women engaged in protection, safety and security assignments such as in police, child welfare committees, legal services, and courts.
- Set up a specialized unit to deal with and investigate cyber sexual crimes.
- Create appropriate mechanisms for universal registration of marriage.
- Involve WSHGs as para legal workers and promote community level fora to track, monitor and report instances of violence and trafficking of girls and women.
- Safety measures need to be ensured for women migrant labourers. The District Administration need to ensure registration of all migrant labourers in their area and identity cards and all basic facilities (safe and hygienic work place etc) need to be provided to the migrant labourers.
- Put in place mechanisms to ensure safety and security of girls and women affected by disasters. Encourage their participation in the process of disaster preparedness and response.
- Initiate measures to improve the care and security of elderly women in the State.
- Provide career counselling facilities for girls and women with respect to higher education and vocational training.
- Undertake a special drive for skill building trainings for young women. Specific initiatives such as in-situ modular employment skills trainings to reach girls and women in institutions like shelter homes, short stay homes, prisons and such others.
- Skill Development training for girls and young women is quite essential to enable them to get dignified jobs. It is important to include Vocational courses which increase the employability of girls at the secondary level. Revamp courses and vocational subjects in technical institutes to cater to the aspirations of women and girls and to match market requirements.
The above-mentioned draft may kindly be considered sensitively and implemented to make my effort fruitful for which I shall be thankful to you.
Thanking You,
Keshab Swain