Many laws, but crimes against women, children on the rise, says expert

Bengalaluru: “Crimes against women and children are a major concern. Though there are a number of laws to protect their interests, the situation continues to deteriorate,” Chairman of the Indian Police Foundation Prakash Singh said here on Tuesday.

At a day-long Stakeholder Consultation on Safety and Security of Women and Children, organised by the Indian Police Foundation and Karnataka Police at the DG’s office on Tuesday, Mr Singh felt a need for change in the approach in dealing with such crimes.

“Most of the time, we don’t have clarity on issues. Instead of going to the root of the cause, we only deal with symptoms,” he said. Free availability of porn on the internet is one of the major causes for increasing crimes against women and children, as it has polluted many minds.

“Sex is in the air nowadays. It is as pervasive as the communist propaganda in the Soviet Union. Free access to porn even to high school children, whose minds would still be immature, has had an adverse effect on them psychologically,” he said. Through education and clamping certain restrictions on the electronic media and regulating the internet, the menace can be addressed to an extent, he said.

DG&IGP R.K. Dutta advised the police to be sensitive while handling cases involving the women and children. The police have a major responsibility as they take such cases to their logical end, he said.

Not happy with the investigation conducted in cases related to human trafficking, he said that there are not many instances where the entire networks have been unearthed.

Victims of trafficking are victimised and are humiliated more than the exploiters. This requires an attitudinal change among the police while dealing with the victims, he felt.

Former Chief Justice of India and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Justice Venkatachalaiah and president of Indian Police Foundation N. Ramachandran were present.