Lok Sabha Question No. 432 (STARRED), answered on 2022-04-01
Subject: Prevention of Crime against Women
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shiromani Ram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN & CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *432

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2022

## PREVENTION OF CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

- *432.   SHRI RAMSHIROMANI VERMA:

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 Uttar Pradesh;
- (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?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) to (d): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

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## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *432  FOR  ANSWER  ON  01.04.2022  ASKED  BY  SHRI   RAMSHIROMANI  VERMA REGARDING 'PREVENTION OF CRIME AGAINST WOMEN'

(a) to (d) : The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) publishes the data on crime against women which is available for the  year  upto  2020.  The  data  published  by  NCRB  shows  a declining trend in the crime against women which was 3,71,503 in the year 2020, as against 4,05,326 in the year 2019.

As  per  the  2020  report  of  NCRB,  majority  of  the  indicators  related  to  marital  and  natal violence such as dowry death (S. 304B Indian Penal Code or IPC), cruelty by husband or his relatives (S. 498 IPC), dowry harassment (the Dowry Prohibition Act), domestic violence (the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act) suggest declining trend as indicated in the following table:

| Marital Offences                                                                   | 2019     | 2020     |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------|----------|
| Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives (S. 498A)                                      | 1,24,934 | 1,11,549 |
| Dowry Harassment (under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961)                           | 13,307   | 10,366   |
| Dowry Death (S. 304B IPC)                                                          | 7,141    | 6,966    |
| Domestic Violence (under The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005) | 553      | 446      |

In respect of Uttar Pradesh, the reported data of Crime Against Women in 2019 and 2020 are 59853 and 49385 respectively, which shows a sharp decline over previous year. '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.

The  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  empowerment.  Keeping  in  mind  the  vision  articulated  in  various Constitutional  provisions, the  Central  Government gives  highest  priority to  ensuring safety and security of women and has undertaken various legislative and schematic interventions in this regard. These include legislations such as 'The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018', 'The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act,  2013',  'The  Protection  of  Women  from  Domestic  Violence  Act,  2005',  'The  Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961', and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, etc.

The schemes/ projects implemented by the Central Government include One Stop Centres (OSCs);  Universalisation  of  Women  Helplines  (WHL),  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 24 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 Security - a 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 is collaborating with 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  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, helps women in distress through a dedicated WhatsApp Number at 72177  35372  for  reporting  domestic  violence  cases.  NCW  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.

Further,  it  is  primarily  the  responsibility  of  the  State  Governments/  UT  Administrations  to make the police force efficient and capable, and its functioning more effective, transparent and accountable. However, the Government has taken several steps on Police reforms, from time to time. In order to facilitate police in States/ UTs with a common IT platform for filing reports, investigation, collecting and sharing information on crimes and criminals at national level,  the  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  (MHA)  has  implemented  Crime  and  Criminal  Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) in all police stations. CCTNS has been integrated through Inter-operable Criminal Justice System (ICJS) to facilitate use of information on crime and criminals in CCTNS with other databases on prisons, prosecution, forensics and courts in a holistic  manner  for  administration  of  criminal  justice.  In  addition,  Ministry  of  Women  and Child Development and Ministry of Home Affairs have issued advisories to States/ UTs from time  to  time  on  various  issues  pertaining  to  safety  and  security  of  women  and  children including advisories to bring in the requisite reforms in the Police.

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