Date:29/03/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/03/29/stories/2008032959870300.htm

Tamil Nadu

Learning to get the healing touch

Almost every case that comes to all women police stations poses a challenge for the khaki-clad women, says R. Rajaram

From seeking remedy for marital problems to dowry harassment and torture, alcoholic husband, eve-teasing and complaints of sexual abuse and molestation, all-women police stations receive complaints of myriad problems from aggrieved women day-in-and day-out.

Women police officers handling such cases are required to show tremendous patience, adopt a friendly approach and display skills to ferret out vital information. Almost every case that comes to the station poses a challenge for the khaki-clad women. While minor cases are sorted through counselling with the help of professional counsellors, those which are grave in nature are taken up for deeper enquiry and action as per law.

Against this backdrop, a two-day comprehensive training on crime against women and methods of counselling, organised exclusively for women inspectors and women sub-inspectors attached with different all-women police stations in Tiruchi Range was an attempt to provide them orientation towards various aspects connected with crimes against women, their role in preventing them and the techniques to be adopted in handling the cases.

The programme was conducted by roping in social workers, representatives of non-governmental organisations, a judicial officer, an advocate and a government doctor to give the participants a wider perspective on various aspects connected with crimes against women and counselling techniques.

Participants were enlightened on the types of crimes committed against women including refusal to marry after sexual molestation, eloping, dowry harassment, cruelty and torture, child and women trafficking. The participants were informed that of the 1.2 million people being trafficked all over the world every year, a vast majority of them were women and children.

As the aggrieved complainants come with hope and confidence to the station, it was essential on the part of the women police personnel to give them a patient hearing.

What also mattered was their body language, “touch therapy” and a humane approach that needed to be adopted to make the complainants feel comfortable at first, said the resource persons.

While listening to the problems it was crucial for the law enforcers to maintain eye-to-eye contact with the complainants, postures, gestures that needed to be followed and the ways of communicating would not only drive out the fear factor from the complaints but would help in gaining their confidence.

The programme also touched upon ways to deal with run away children, the role of Child Line in helping children in distress, investigation of dowry-related cases, identification of a case of suicide and homicide, assessment of the time of death and redress mechanisms. A separate session on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act also formed part of the training camp.