Anti-trafficking units for protection of women, children to be setup in all districts: Smriti Irani

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday said that the Central Government has now resolved and financially supported the setting up of anti-trafficking units in all districts of the country in order to protect women and children in every district across India.

It is the first-ever such initiative taken in the history of independence, she added.

The Union Minister today attended the South Asia Safety Summit by Facebook and Instagram in organised in the national capital.

"When women seek protection or justice one of the first doors they knock on is a police station and we want to make those police stations as accessible for women and children in need of protection. Hence, I would also like to publicly acknowledge the role of the MHA which has recently helped us fund a women's help desk in each police station across the entire country," said Irani.

"Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has launched cyber-crime reporting panel providing citizens easy method to complain against objectionable content online. Ministry of Women and Child Development is helping to strengthen this panel," she added.

She further added that for too long people felt that digital platforms are platforms that give you relentless freedom and not platforms that inspire responsibility towards each other.

"I am extremely grateful that Facebook today has undertaken this summit to address that very misnomer," she added.

The Union Minister added that when she thinks of 'safety' the first concern that comes to her mind is the physical safety of women and children.

"My request would be, can we engage in conversations with women especially at the grassroots about the viability of a mobile phone, if not a laptop and how essential it is for not only their freedom in terms of security but how empowering it is for them financially. How empowering it is for them to have access to financial instruments to the best advice as to how best use their financial resources," said Irani.

"When a woman realises that a mobile phone is an essential resource or that it can help in saving her money in future, then you will see women wanting to embrace more and more such resources or more and more engage with such platforms," she added.

"Every district will have a nodal police officer to help us engage better on issues relating to the safety of women and children. But much yet needs to be done," said Irani.