Lok Sabha Question No. 4324 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-20
Subject: Prevention of Sexual Violence
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Sukanta Kumar Panigrahi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4324 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2024

## PREVENTION OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE

## 4324.  SHRI SUKANTA KUMAR PANIGRAHI:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the steps taken by the Ministry to prevent sexual violence against women and children in the country particularly in the State of Odisha during the last three years;
- (b) whether  the Ministry has  implemented  or  proposed  any  new  policies, programmes or awareness campaigns to address the rising cases of sexual violence, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of the measures proposed to ensure effective implementation and monitoring  of  these  initiatives  at  the  grassroots  level  including  conducting workshops  at  each  Block  level  of  every  district  and  monitoring  the  same periodically;
- (d) whether the Ministry has collaborated with other Government bodies or NonGovernmental Organizations to strengthen the prevention of sexual violence, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the specific provisions or changes made to enhance the legal and institutional support for survivors of sexual violence with periodically counselling by legal experts?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (e): 'Police' and 'Public Order' are State subjects under the Seventh Schedule of 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 with the respective State Governments and they are competent to deal with such crimes. However, the Central Government gives highest priority to safety and security of women and children and has taken several initiatives in this regard.

To promote women's empowerment and their safety, in domestic and public spaces including workplaces, the government has taken several steps. Some of the initiatives are listed below:

- i. The Government of India with an aim to modernize and improve the criminal justice system has enacted Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) which came into effect from 1st July, 2024. In BNS 2023, the offences against women and children  earlier  scattered  in  Indian  Penal  Code,  1860  have  been  brought together and consolidated under Chapter-V of BNS. The Act has introduced new provisions specifically, Section 111 related to 'organized crime', Section 69 related to sexual intercourse on false promise of marriage, employment, promotion or by suppressing the identity, Section 95 related to hiring, employing or engaging a child to commit an offence etc. In respect of the crimes related to  buying  a  child  for  the  purposes  of  prostitution  (Section  99),  gang  rape (Section 70) and  exploitation of a trafficked  person  (Section  144)  the punishment has been increased. Further, in respect of certain severe crimes against women like buying child for the purposes of prostitution (section 99 of BNS),  organised  crime  (Section  111),  kidnapping  or  maiming  a  child  for purpose of begging (Section 139) mandatory minimum punishment have been prescribed.  Also,  Sections  75  and  79  of  BNS  2023  provide  additional  legal protections  against  harassment,  covering  actions  like  unwelcome  sexual advances,  requests  for  sexual  favours,  sexually  coloured  remarks  and  also word, gesture or act intended to insult modesty of a woman. A woman facing sexual harassment at workplace has an option to file a complaint under these provisions.
- ii. The introduction of Zero FIR and electronic First Information Reports (e-FIR) is a noteworthy advancement in modernizing the legal system and improving the effectiveness of law enforcement. These measures have removed Geographical restrictions and administrative bottlenecks in the   system.
- iii. Section 193(3)(ii) of BNSS mandates that the police officer shall, within a period of ninety days, inform the progress of the investigation to the informant or the victim. Provisions under section 398 of BNSS introduces Witness Protection Schemes, acknowledging the critical need to shield witnesses from threats and intimidation. Further, Section 2(1)(d) of BSA now enables electronic or digital record on emails, documents on computers, laptop or smartphone, messages and  voice  mail  messages  stored  on  digital  devices  under  definition  of documents.
- iv. The Ministry of Women and Child Development recently launched the SHe-Box portal  duly  encompassing  various  provisions  of  'the  Sexual  Harassment  of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013' (SH Act). This portal is an initiative of the Ministry to provide a publicly available centralised repository of information related to Internal Committees (ICs) and Local Committees (LCs) formed across the country, whether in government or private sector. It also provides a common platform to file complaints and track the status of such complaints. The portal includes a feature where complaints registered on it will be automatically forwarded to the IC/ LC of the workplaces concerned  within  the  Central  Ministries/  Departments,  States/  UTs  and  in Private  sector.  The  portal  provides  for  designating  a  nodal  officer  for  every

workplace who is required to ensure updation of data/ information on a regular basis for real time monitoring of complaints.

- v. Under Nirbhaya Fund, Government has taken several measures to improve safety and security of women:
- a.  The component of One Stop Centre (OSCs) under 'Sambal' sub-scheme of 'Mission Shakti', provide women affected by violence and who are in distress with a range of integrated services under one roof such as Police facilitation, medical aid, providing legal aid and legal counselling, psycho-social counselling, temporary shelter etc. upto 5 days are provided under one roof to any women under assault or distress. Till date, 802 OSCs have been made functional in 36 States/UTs wherein over 10.12 lakh women have been assisted so far.
- b.  A  fully  functional  dedicated  24×7×365  toll-free  Women  Helpline-181  (WHL) under  Nirbhaya  Fund  provides  emergency  and  non-emergency  response  to women affected by violence and in distress across the country. This helpline is fully  integrated  with  112.  To provide help and support to needy women and women in distress,  Emergency  Response Support  System  (ERSS-112) has been  established  in  all  36  States  and  UTs  for  various  emergencies,  with computer aided dispatch of field resources. As of October 31, 2024, a total of 81,64,796 women have been assisted across the country.
- c. In  addition,  under  Nirbhaya  Fund,  the  Central  Government  has  provided assistance  to  States/  UTs  for  setting  up/  strengthening  Women  Help  Desks (WHDs) in all police stations. So far, 14658 Women Help Desks have been established  in  police  stations  out  of  which  13,743  are  headed  by  women. Further, 827 Anti-Human Trafficking Units have been set up for prevention of human trafficking and support to the victims. Cyber Forensic cum Training Labs have also been established in 33 States/UTs with 24,264 person trained in handling cyber related cases.
- d.  To  ensure  safety  of  public  places  where  women  work  and  live,  Safe  City Projects have been implemented in 8 Cities (namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai). To ensure safe transportation  for  women,  rail  and  road  transport  projects  like  Integrated Emergency  Response  Management  System  (IERMS), Video  Surveillance System at Konkan Railway, Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Facial Recognition System (FRS) integrated with Video surveillance Systems, including Command-and-Control Centre at 7 major railway stations and tabs for safety of women passengers on board the train by Ministry of Railways, and projects like Vehicle  Tracking  Platform  with  command  and  control  centre  across  States/ UTs,  and  some  State  specific  projects  like  Uttar  Pradesh  Road  transport Corporation (UPSRTC), Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC),  Telangana  State  Road  Transport  Corporation  (TSRTC),  etc.  by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, have been implemented.
- e.  To ensure that justice is delivered to unfortunate women and young girls who are  victims  of  heinous  sexual  offences,  the  Government  provides  financial assistance to States/ UTs for setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) since  2019.  So  far,  790  Fast  Track  Special  Courts  (FTSCs)  have  been approved, out of which 750 including 408 exclusive POCSO (e-POCSO) courts are operational in 30 States/UTs, having disposed of more than 2,87,000 cases of rape, and offences under POCSO Act across the country.
- vi. 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. BPR&D has also prepared Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) for 'Women Help Desk at Police Stations' to ensure their smooth functioning. 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.
- vii. Ministry of Home Affairs has also put in place Crime Multi Agency Centre (CriMAC), a national-level communication platform for online sharing of information on  crime  &  criminals,  including  human  trafficking  for  commercial  sexual exploitation. This platform operates on a 24x7 basis and facilitates a seamless flow  of  information  between  various  law  enforcement  agencies.  Cri-MAC  is instrumental in addressing the growing concern of cyber-enabled sex trafficking.
- viii. The  government  actively  promotes  legal  literacy  under  the  Legal  Services Authorities Act, 1987, which mandates the dissemination of legal knowledge to marginalized  and  vulnerable  sections  of  society.  Through  this  Act,  Legal Services Authorities organize legal literacy camps, workshops, media campaigns, and distribution of educational materials in regional languages. The initiative emphasizes empowering citizens with knowledge of their rights and remedies,  fostering  equitable  access  to  justice,  and  reducing  exploitation. Additionally, Lok Adalats, established under this Act, not only resolve disputes amicably but also serve as a platform for spreading legal awareness.
- ix. Recognizing  the  need  for  psycho-social  counselling  to  women  affected  by violence and in distress, the 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  of  women  facing violence and distress.
- x. Further, the Ministry of Women and Child Development also administers subscheme 'Samarthya' under Mission Shakti in which the component of Shakti Sadan is for relief and rehabilitation of women in difficult circumstances and the victims of trafficking.
- xi. Another component Sakhi Niwas (Working Women's Hostels) of Mission Shakti provides safe and conveniently located accommodation for working women, with day care facility for their children, wherever possible, in urban, semi urban, or  even  rural  areas  where  employment  opportunity  for  women  exist.  The government has also earmarked Rs. 5000 Crore during the current financial year for providing financial assistance to States for establishing working women hostel under the Scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI).
- xii. The Government, through institutions like the National Commission for Women (NCW) and its counterparts in States have been spreading awareness through seminars, workshops, audio- visual, print and electronic media etc. to sensitize the  people  about  the  safety  and  security  of  women  and  also  about  various provisions of the legislation and policies etc. 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. In respect of the registered complaints, NCW takes up the matter with stakeholders especially the Police Authorities to ensure that the complaints are redressed and brought to logical conclusion.

The  Projects/  Schemes  under  Nirbhaya  Fund  that  have  been  implemented/  being implemented in the State of Odisha include, Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)-112, Setting-up/ Strengthening Anti-Human Trafficking Units (AHTU), Settingup/  Strengthening  Women  Help  Desk  (WHDs),  Cyber  Crime  Prevention  against Women & Children (CCPWC), Cyber forensic and related facilities in State Forensic Science Laboratories (SFSLs), Universalisation of Women Helpline (WHL)-181, Statewise  Vehicle  Tracking  Platform  (VTP),  Training  of  Investigating  Officers  (IOs)/ Prosecution Officers (POs)/ Medical Officers (MOs) in Forensic Evidence collection, Setting up Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs) to dispose of cases pending trial under rape and POCSO Act. There are 30 operational One Stop Centers (OSCs) in the State of Odisha with an OSC in each of the 30 districts.

Governments' comprehensive initiatives reflect a strong commitment to ensuring the safety and empowerment of women. By integrating legislative reforms, technological advancements, victim-centric approaches, and awareness programs, the government has laid a robust foundation for addressing crimes against women, ensuring justice, and  promoting  gender  equality.  These  efforts  signify  a  progressive  step  towards fostering  a  secure  and  inclusive  society  where  women  can  thrive  without  fear  or discrimination.

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