The committee set up to advise the Telangana Government on the issue of women’s safety has called for barring porn sites found to be abetting crimes against women. In its report, the committee called for starting a three-digit emergency phone number to attend to distress calls by women.
After studying over 60 State and Central laws, and provisions in the IPC for safeguard of women, the committee felt the Government must ensure women staffers in all business and shopping establishment are allowed to leave by 8 pm or, they must be provided transport facilities. It recommended a 33 per cent reservation for women in the police force.
QualificationsThe State could also consider relaxing qualifications to attract women into the police force.
The State should start ‘24-hour one-stop support centres’. This can be integrated with the women’s helpline. These centres should have a counsellor, a lady advocate with ten years of practice and police personnel headed by a lady deputy superintendent of police. In addition, each centre will have a multi-disciplinary mobile team linked with the helpline. This will ensure an organic link between one-stop support centres and helplines.