Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday emphasied the requirement to empower and skill police agencies and other responders in addressing the crimes against children "professionally and diligently", and called for every police station to be equipped with 'Rape Investigation Kits' to deal with such cases on a priority basis.
"The government has decided to take every step in addressing crimes against children in the best possible manner. The important requirements is to empower and skill the police agencies and other responders in addressing the crimes against children professionally and diligently," Gandhi said while launching a handbook on legal processes for police in respect of crime against children at a function here organised by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).
She said there is need for Rape Investigation Kits in every police station to facilitate the investigation on priority basis, while a proposal to print Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) related laws on front and back of all the textbooks to increase awareness among children has been taken up with the Human Resource Development Ministry.
Emphasizing the importance of forensic laboratories in India, she said that five such new laboratories are being established to cater to the investigation of the average 2,000 rape cases every year.
The Minister also mentioned about the e-box Complaint System for the school children to come up against the issues of sexual harassment.
Explaining about the handbook, she said that her ministry would work closely with identified stakeholders to ensure that it is available in every police station, preferably in local languages.
Gandhi also urged all stakeholders "to unite in preventing and combating crimes against women and children".
She hoped that the handbook will definitely prove to be a tool to enhance and fine tune the skills of the end user in the application of the laws, rules, rulings and related provisions pertaining to crimes against children.
The handbook is a composite tool which will aid police to chart a step-by-step procedure to be adopted in cases of crime against children and the latest court rulings are also mentioned in it, the Minister said, adding a team led by Dr. P.M. Nair of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) has developed this comprehensive, user-friendly, process oriented document published by the BPR&D in partnership with TISS.
The publication is part of an initiative taken by BPR&D to partner with reputed academic and research institutions across the country in undertaking research and developing quality tools and knowledge products to enhance the professional competence of the Indian police, she said.
Gandhi highlighted that "the government is committed to create a nation free of violence against women and children".
She elaborated upon the services offered by Child Line and Railway Child Line which have been highly successful in reuniting missing children with their families and stated that a short documentary "Komal" has been released to sensitize the children on "good and bad touch".
--IANS
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