Lok Sabha Question No. 795 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-02-07
Subject: Cases of Witch-hunting
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. Rani Srikumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 795

TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.02.2025

## CASES OF WITCH-HUNTING

## 795 DR. RANI SRIKUMAR:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  of  the  increase  in  witch-hunting  across  the country and if so, the details of the initiatives taken to address it;
- (b) the details of the institutional support offered to women branded as witches across the country along with the beneficiaries of said support, state/UT-wise;
- (c) the details of the rehabilitation programmes and skill training programme offered to the women branded as witches and the beneficiaries thereunder, State/UT-wise;
- (d) whether the Government has taken any initiatives to make people aware of the socio-cultural  aspects  of  witch-hunting  along  with  the  systematic  violence  it perpetuates; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (e): Violence, torture, murder and other crimes against women including gender based violence and sexual harassment that are associated with the practice of witchhunting are already punishable under Chapter-V of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

'Police'  and  'Public  Order'  are  State  subjects  under  the  Seventh  Schedule  of  the Constitution of India. The responsibility to maintain law and order, protection of life and property of citizens, investigation and prosecution of crime against women, including for witch hunting and related forms of violence, rests with the respective State Governments. They are competent to deal with such offences under the extant provisions of laws.

The  Ministry  of  Women  and  Child  Development  implements  a  Centrally  Sponsored Scheme 'Mission  Shakti'  in  the  country  for  the  safety,  security  and  empowerment  of women. The scheme aims at strengthening interventions for women in need of care and support.  It  comprises  of  two  sub-schemes  'Sambal'  and  'Samarthya'  for  safety  and security of women and empowerment of women respectively. The 'Sambal' vertical is for safety and security of women and the key components namely, One Stop Centres (OSCs) which is an institution located at district level offering under one roof immediate help to women in distress such as temporary shelter, medical & police assistance, counselling and legal support, the Women Helpline (WHL) 181 provides toll-free 24-hours telecom service to women seeking support and information. The 'Samarthya' vertical is for the empowerment of women. Shakti Sadan component of 'Samarthya' provides necessary assistance including shelter, food, vocational training for destitute women and women in difficult circumstances. The SANKALP: Hub for Empowerment of Women (HEW) serves as a vehicle to bridge the information and knowledge gap regarding schemes and facilities available  for  women.  Further,  initiatives  like  Emergency  Response  Support  System (ERSS)  which  is  a  pan-India  single  number  (112)/  mobile  app  based  system  for emergencies, setting up/ strengthening of Women Help Desks (WHDs) at Police Stations etc under Nirbhaya Fund are also available to assist women facing any kind of violence or harassment including that of witch- hunting.

Recognizing the need for psycho-social counselling to women affected by violence and those  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 to support such women. The Ministry undertakes awareness exercise for safety and security of women and children from time to time.

The Government and its  organisations such as National Commission for Women  also undertake awareness campaigns and organize seminars, workshops etc. from time to time for raising awareness among masses on the issues relating to safety, security and empowerment of women and girls.

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