More teeth for laws to protect women soon

In a state ranked fourth in the list by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), a ‘workshop on women related issues’ was conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Police to initiate a dialogue between various stakeholders for a tangible solution to various problems.

“If we are ranked fourth in the NCRB list, it is because of the high number of cases registered in police stations across the state. It is a positive trend,” director general of police V. Dinesh Reddy observed.

Taking a serious view of cases in which perpetrators walk away with a slap on the wrist, home minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy said that the state government was awaiting an approval from the centre to make ‘acid-attacks’ on women a non-bailable offense.

“The feedback we had received from various women rights groups helped in bringing about the amendment to the existing law. We also want to introduce strict punishment for NRIs who dupe women into marrying them and abandon them after usurping hefty amounts as dowry. Most likely, we will bring about a provision for cancellation of passports of such individuals and will look forward to suggestions from various NGOs who work on women rights issues,” the home minister said.

The threat of cyber-crimes against women was also conceded to be a major issue by the DGP and minister for women development and child welfare, V. Sunitha Laxma Reddy.

“In collaboration with 72 NGOs, we have tried to ensure that legal aid is made available for victims of dowry harassment and domestic violence. We would like to bring the courts on the table by asking them to hold a special session every fortnight to resolve hearings on issues related to women,” said P. Sunitha Laxma Reddy.

Recalling the number of cases registered and disposed over a period of five years, principal secretary for women development and child welfare, Nilam Sawhney observed that of the 20,000 cases registered, around 50 per cent had been resolved through counselling.