Lok Sabha Question No. 4868 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Crime against Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Nishikant  Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4868

TO BE ANSWERED ON 31.03.2023

## CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

## 4868.  DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  cases  of  crime  against  women  have  increased  rapidly  across  the country, especially in Jharkhand;
- (b) if  so,  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  such  crimes  against women;
- (c) the details of assistance/facilities being provided by the Government to women who are victims of dowry related harassment and domestic violence; and
- (d) the measures being taken by the Government to ensure fair investigation by the officers and impart special training to such officers to sensitize them?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a) to (d): The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) compiles and publishes the data on crime against women which is available upto the year 2021 at its website https://ncrb.gov.in/en/crime-india. As per the data reported by NCRB, the number of crimes  against  women  were  371503  and  428278  in  2020  and  2021  respectively. Similarly, the number of crimes against women in the State of Jharkhand were7630 and 8110 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh  Schedule  to  the Constitution of India and the responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of the citizens including investigation and prosecution of crime against women rests primarily with the respective State Governments and they are competent to deal with such crimes.

Constitution of India guarantees the right to equality and also provides for positive interventions by the State to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and to ensure their holistic development and empowerment. Keeping in mind the vision articulated in Constitutional provisions,  there  has  been  enactment  of  various legislations such as the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Law Amendments of 2013 and 2018, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 which addresses the issue of gender inequality, discrimination and violence faced by women.

Further, Government of India has introduced various schemes and projects like One Stop Centres (OSCs) for assisting women affected by violence and in distress; Women Helpline  (WHL)  running  on  toll  free  telephonic  short  code  181;  Beti  Bachao  Beti Padhao  (BBBP);  and  Shakti  Sadan  for  women  facing  difficult  circumstances  or destitution under umbrella scheme of Mission Shakti.

In  addition,  several  projects/  schemes  are  implemented  by  Central  Government through other Ministries /Departments /Implementing Agencies under Nirbhaya Fund which include Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) which is a pan-India single  number  (112)/  mobile  app  based  system  for  emergencies;  a  cyber-crime reporting portal to report obscene content; Safe City Projects in 8 cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,  Chennai,  Delhi,  Hyderabad,  Kolkata,  Lucknow  and  Mumbai)  including infrastructure,  technology  adoption  and  capacity  building  in  community  through awareness programmes; training and skill  development programs  for  Investigation Officers,  Prosecution  Officers  and  Medical  Officers;  distribution  of  Sexual  Assault Evidence Collection (SAEC) Kits to States/ UTs; establishment of State of Art DNA Laboratory at CFSL, Chandigarh; assistance to 28 States/ UTs to strengthen Forensic Science Laboratories; setting up of 1023 Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) including exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) Courts for speedy disposal of cases of rape and cases under POCSO Act; setting up/ strengthening of Anti Human Trafficking Units (AHTUs) in all districts of the country; setting up/ strengthening of Women Help Desks (WHDs) at Police Stations etc. The Government has also put in place Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences, an online analytic tool for tracking  and monitoring  of investigation.  A  National  Database  of  Sexual  Offenders  (NDSO)  has  also  been created.

Under Nirbhaya Fund, Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) has also  undertaken  several  initiatives,  which,  inter-alia  includes  training  and  skill development programs for Investigation Officers, Prosecution Officers and Medical Officers,  distribution  of  Sexual  Assault  Evidence  Collection  (SAEC)  Kits  to  States/ UTs. BPR&D has also prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) for 'Women Help Desk at Police Stations' to ensure smooth functioning of Women Help Desks by focusing  on  four  critical  components  viz.  infrastructure,  training,  human  resource development and response mechanism. A book titled 'Women's Safety and Securitya  Handbook  for  First  Responders  and  Investigators  in  the  Police'  has  also  been prepared for the purpose of prevention and investigation of crime against women with specific reference to the crime of sexual assault, which includes investigation, victim compensation and rehabilitation. Emphasis has been laid upon appropriate behavioural and attitudinal skills of the police in course of prevention and detection of crime against women and children and interaction with victims of crime. Webinars on women safety with sensitivity, gender sensitization of police personnel etc. have also been organized by BPR&D.

Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  has  engaged  the  services  of  National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) for providing basic and advanced training under the project named 'Stree Manoraksha' to the staff of One Stop Centres (OSCs) across the country on handling psycho-social and mental health care needs to support the women facing violence and women in distress.

Further,  the  National  Commission  for  Women  (NCW),  in  addition  to  handling complaints through regular mode, also takes cognizance of the grievances relating to domestic violence reported in  social media.  The  complaints  received  by  NCW  are acted  upon  by  coordinating  with  victims,  police  and  other  authorities  to  provide immediate assistance.

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