Instances of women who dare to venture into male dominated police stations to register sexual harassment cases being asked disconcerting and embarrassing questions that not only make them cringe and wonder why they ventured into this torture chamber in the first place, have been reported through all avenues of the media times without end.........
What is even more galling is the fact that the powers that be show no signs of addressing this increasingly contentious issue and making the existing police stations more fairer sex friendly by setting right the gaping or glaring gender divide within the police force and recruiting women police personnel on a priority basis.......
Government after government has held out hollow reassurances about stationing at least one woman police constable in every existing police station but these promises and empty reassurances are yet to show signs of fructifying on the ground, women continue to cringe, curse their fate and wondering whether it is a crime to be born as a woman thanks to the apathy and indifference of the powers that be........
Figures don't lie and the figures in the case of our home state i.e. Andhra Pradesh are shocking to say the very least; the whole of Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates boast of a measly three female or police stations out of the 120 odd in existence at the present moment........
The state has only 2,031 women police officers as against Maharashtra's 20,062, the total strength of women personnel at the respective police stations in the city stands at a measly 120 and this glaring shortage of women police personnel is increasingly traumatising sexual harassment victims who always prefer to speak to a female police officer as they find them to be more forthcoming and sympathetic.........
There are only two ways out of this imbroglio and rather sorry state of affairs, the first is to recruit women police officers on a priority basis and fill up the existing vacancies of women police personnel as soon as possible and the second is to educate and enlighten the male police officers about how to be sympathetic and friendly towards hapless females who venture into police stations to register complaints that are of a sexual nature..........
As the first option seems to be a mirage considering the precarious financial health of the government of the day, the second seems to be the more feasible and easily implementable option, will the police higher ups initiate remedial measures and start gender sensitisation classes immediately or will women continue to experience this harrowing and humiliating experience every time they summon up the courage to venture into a neighbouring police station, well the jury is still out on that one........
What is even more galling is the fact that the powers that be show no signs of addressing this increasingly contentious issue and making the existing police stations more fairer sex friendly by setting right the gaping or glaring gender divide within the police force and recruiting women police personnel on a priority basis.......
Government after government has held out hollow reassurances about stationing at least one woman police constable in every existing police station but these promises and empty reassurances are yet to show signs of fructifying on the ground, women continue to cringe, curse their fate and wondering whether it is a crime to be born as a woman thanks to the apathy and indifference of the powers that be........
Figures don't lie and the figures in the case of our home state i.e. Andhra Pradesh are shocking to say the very least; the whole of Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates boast of a measly three female or police stations out of the 120 odd in existence at the present moment........
The state has only 2,031 women police officers as against Maharashtra's 20,062, the total strength of women personnel at the respective police stations in the city stands at a measly 120 and this glaring shortage of women police personnel is increasingly traumatising sexual harassment victims who always prefer to speak to a female police officer as they find them to be more forthcoming and sympathetic.........
There are only two ways out of this imbroglio and rather sorry state of affairs, the first is to recruit women police officers on a priority basis and fill up the existing vacancies of women police personnel as soon as possible and the second is to educate and enlighten the male police officers about how to be sympathetic and friendly towards hapless females who venture into police stations to register complaints that are of a sexual nature..........
As the first option seems to be a mirage considering the precarious financial health of the government of the day, the second seems to be the more feasible and easily implementable option, will the police higher ups initiate remedial measures and start gender sensitisation classes immediately or will women continue to experience this harrowing and humiliating experience every time they summon up the courage to venture into a neighbouring police station, well the jury is still out on that one........
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