Women are safe in Telangana: Shikha Goel

HYDERABAD: The 1994 batch woman IPS officer Shikha Goel, director general (DG) rank officer and head of three prestigious wings in the state police department, has chosen a novel initiative that focuses on school children and creates awareness in order to bring an ‘attitude change’ among boys and girls to prevent crimes against women.

On the occasion of the International Women's Day, Shikha Goel, who is chief of CID, DG of the state women safety wing (SWSW) and director of Telangana cyber security bureau (TSCSB), detailed her plans to prevent crime against women in Telangana during an interaction with Deccan Chronicle.

Q. The state government accords priority to women safety. Thousands of women are working in IT and IT enabled services in Hyderabad. What are your plans to prevent crime against women?

Well, SWSW has initiated a number of plans for Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Rachakonda and other places. In tune with the wing's measures, a number of IT companies are preferring to offer jobs to women in Telangana, especially in Hyderabad.

Q. What are the measures to prevent crime against women?

We have taken up a new initiative — a gender sensitization training programme for principals and teachers of three ZPHS schools as a pilot project. We create awareness among the school students in bringing a change in attitude vis-à-vis respecting girls and boys at the school level. The programme aims to conduct a gender sensitization pilot project for class VIII and class IX students. Later, we will expand the initiative to all government schools.

Q. What are the measures taken for women victims approaching the police to lodge complaints?

In an attempt to make a fast and easy way to handle such complaints and related issues, the women safety wing has trained a number of women constables and staff to help women approaching police stations. In Telangana, all police stations have a separate reception counter to deal with women complaints.

Q. Who will monitor the complaints lodged by women victims at police stations?

The SHO concerned assigns women SIs to register and investigate the cases. Moreover, if such complaints are not getting justice at the police station, the complainants can reach SWSW, which will monitor the case based on its intensity and coordinate with the respective staff.

Q. Recently, the state government offered traffic volunteer jobs to transgenders. Are there any specific measures to protect the trans community?

Yes, the women safety wing has also set up a ‘transgender protection cell’ under the charge of the district magistrate and a state level cell under the DGP to monitor offences against transgender persons. They will ensure timely registration of cases, investigation and prosecution. The protection cell works for prevention of crimes, monitors cases of offences against them.

Q. What about the NRI women cell that handles complaints from NRI women?

The government’s mandate is to establish a comprehensive support system for survivors of domestic violence involving NRI spouses, the NRI cell for protection of deserted NRI spouses. In the last one year, around 100 petitions were received from NRI women. Among these, FIRs have already been registered in 96 petitions in the concerned police stations.

Box: Telangana tops in rescuing children

Telangana has topped the country in rescuing children under Operation Smile and Muskaan. Around 11,218 children were rescued and 2,378 FIRs were registered against employers. Of them, 1,186 children have been enrolled in schools. The national tracing percentage for missing persons in India is 53 percent and of children 63.3 percent. In contrast, Telangana has achieved an impressive tracing percentage of 86 per cent for missing persons and 87 per cent for children.

Harassment at public places

The women safety wing received 13,405 cases from women. Of this, 1077 were registered; 3249 were counseled and 7818 cases were registered on harassment of women in public places.