One-stop centres for legal assistance to women victims soon

The Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) today told Delhi High Court that it would soon come up with standard operating procedures for one-stop centres to provide assistance to the victims of crimes against women.
The submission was made before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva by DSLSA which said that the final and mutually accepted standard operating procedure (SOP) would be placed before the court soon and it has held meetings with all stakeholders on the issue.
The submission was made by DSLSA in its affidavit indicating the decisions arrived at in the two meetings with Delhi Police, Department of Health Services, Directorate of Prosecution, Delhi Commission for Women and two NGOs -- Lawyers Collective and Haq.

A decision arrived at in the meetings was to ensure that the victim was not constrained to deal with each department separately by assigning her a coordinator who would interact with all stakeholders and assist her from the stage of lodging an FIR till conclusion of trial or appeals and rehabilitation.
The stakeholders have decided to prepare and share a compilation on the currently adopted SOPs, any suggestions to improve them as well as the expectations they have from each other, which would then be forwarded to DSLSA.
It was also decided that new SOP would aim at strengthening the present working methodology by pouring in resources of all stakeholders, instead of creating a new entity or a stand-alone system.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police told the court that it has started a sensitisation programme for staff deployed at Women Help Desk which would be held fortnightly.

It has also initiated the process of procuring modern gadgets used the world over by investigating agencies for scientific investigation, the agency said in an affidavit filed through advocate Zubeda Begum.
The police would publish self-defence advertisements to spread awareness and organise such camps at several places in the national capital, the agency also said in its affidavit.
The affidavits were filed by DSLSA and the police in compliance of the court's January 7 directions to prepare a document of standard operating procedures for one-stop centres and "give a complete up-to-date report of action taken" regarding use of scientific modes of investigation and evidence collection.

The court was hearing a plea filed by Nandita Dhar through advocate Gaurav Bansal against the incidents of eve-teasing in the capital.