New Delhi (NVI): In a move to curtail crime against women, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is digitally listing all sex offenders in India even as the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2017 data shows that 62% of women themselves support domestic violence.
“The WCD Ministry is digitally listing all sex offenders in India so that whenever background checks of employees need to be conducted its database will enable employers,” Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) and Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani said here today.
While Speaking at the 2nd edition of South Asia Safety Summit organized by the Ministry of WCD and Facebook, Irani quoted NCRB data of 2017 that the 3 lakh crimes registered against women are committed by husbands and relatives and said that the challenges to women and children safety issues lie closer to home.
She further said that as per the NCRB data 42% of men justify domestic violence and 62% of women support domestic violence.
“There is urgent need to ensure safety for women and children within their homes and create safe neighbourhoods in order to protect women and children against violence and abuse,” she said.
She also informed that every district of India will have anti trafficking units which is the first ever such initiative undertaken by the Government.
The South Asia Safety Summit is being organized to highlight the issue of safety while individuals and communities are connected on the digital platform.
Participants from 125 civil society organizations, feminist groups, child safety experts, academics focused on gender and mass communication, safety practitioners, mental health and suicide prevention organizations, disabilities rights groups, and partners who have expertise in running digital literacy programmes and creating tools for social-emotional development of young people are attending the Summit. They are from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.
Smriti Irani also highlighted the steps taken by the Ministry like one-stop centres to service the needs of women in the locality and informed the gathering that 10 one-stop centres open every month across the country.
To make police stations more accessible for women and children Women’s help desks are being set up in each police station across the county as a police station is the first place that a woman reaches whenever she faces a threat to her security and life.
Along with Ministry of Home Affairs the Ministry of WCD has launched the cyber-crime portal and the Ministry of WCD is helping to strengthen this portal so that women are able to lodge complaints of cyber bullying, online shaming and online threats.
She also requested digital platforms to keep linguistic and cultural aspects and special attention to DIVYANG women and children who need additional support on digital platforms if holistic policy is to be put in place.
During the Summit, Smriti Irani also launched “We Think Digital” website. This website is an online education portal with interactive tutorials aimed at helping people think critically and share thoughtfully online. The topics covered include privacy, safety, security, digital discourse and knowing your digital footprint. “We Think Digital” is a four-part course designed to empower students with the knowledge to use, understand, evaluate, communicate and create with digital technologies.
-sb
