On January 26, in a speech at the Republic Day parade in Campal, Panaji, Governor Mridula Sinha talked about the fact that even though men and women are accorded equal rights in the Constitution, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to really improve the condition of women. She also stressed on the importance of reducing crimes against women in the country. Two days later, the government of Goa announced the fact that a special ladies desk will be set up at all the police stations across the State. This is pure coincidence but it does prove that there are moves being made to change the country’s gender imbalance by making it safer for women. There is a lot that needs to be done though, before things change.
The Chief Minister, at the launch of the newest coastal police station in Tiracol, also stated that 300 new women personnel would be deployed at these special ladies desks at all police stations. Recruitment is already on and the government hopes to have things in place within the next six months. At this point, the timeline shouldn’t matter this much. Even if it takes a year, the important thing is that there is a process in place to ensure that women have a safe zone in every police station.
The crimes against women category in the country has always been high. Even in Goa, the crimes stats, while not reflective of the male bias elsewhere, are still astonishing. In 2012, the crimes against women that were reported numbered 228, in 2013 it went up to 502, jumping further up to 549 in 2014. Even though the number of crimes against women in 2015 dropped down to 441, this is still a startling number. Of course, these are only the number of crimes reported.
There has never been a good reception at the police station or any other authority when women complain about rape, molestation or physical assault, among other things. The invasive questions, the assumption of wrongdoing on the part of the women and other biased judgements on the past of the police personnel have always deterred women from coming forth. This is the fallout of patriarchal society. But let us also not assume that just because women will now man those desks, that sensitivity towards other women will be automatic.
The women personnel and their male colleagues must all be made to undergo sensitivity training, in order to ensure that women complainants are treated better. But even this will not ensure that women will come forth. In rural and urban areas, many women do not know their rights, or are afraid of vindictive husbands, boyfriends and family. To cut a clear and safe path to the ladies desk at the police stations, awareness programmes have to be conducted.
Of course, the ladies desk at the police station is a good start. To have an aware and gender equal society, where there will be no need for a special ladies desk to entertain complaints is an utopian dream. Now, we have a place where women can let their voices be heard. Perhaps this will serve to bring down the number of crimes against women in the State. One can now only hope.
