Crime against women shoots up by 50% in JK

NL Correspondent

SRINAGAR: Despite Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed over 50 percent increase in crimes against women for the last eight years, the state government has failed to establish various facilities as recommended by the centre in a bid to prevent such crimes in the state.

A report of the National Crime Records Bureau has revealed that number of cases pertaining to crime against women has shot up by 1296 cases in J&K from 2087 in 2008 to 3363 in 2015.

2757 crimes against women like rape, attempt to rape, molestation, dowry abduction of women were reported in 2009, in 2010 (2521) and (3329) in 2011.

Chairperson J&K State Women's Commission Nayeema Mehjoor, said the commission too receives around 10 complaints of domestic violence every day. She said most of the domestic violence cases came from Srinagar district.

Most often, cases of women harassment or domestic violence go unreported either due to remoteness of the location or victims choosing to stay silent out of fear or social stigma attached to such exploitation. “Very little percentage of crimes against women goes reported as women mostly prefer to remain silent without lodging compliant against their family members. Women also face harassment outside their homes be at workplaces or in educational institutions,” a senior police official said.

Police figures reveal that in most cases crimes against women, reasons are dowry, interference from in-laws, misunderstandings, giving birth to female babies leading to matrimonial disputes and family squabbles and are also subjected to mental as well as physical torture in homes, workplaces or in educational institutions.

Notwithstanding increase in crime rate as around 10 cases of crimes against women get reported on an average daily in the state, the state government has failed to establish ‘Investigative Units on Crimes against Women (IUCAW)' that was approved by the centre earlier this year.

The Ministry of Home Affairs in January 2015 had proposed to set up IUCAW in 20 per cent of the districts of each state on a 50:50 cost sharing basis between the Centre and state governments.

The Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh had written to Chief Minister of the states that MHA has proposed to set up 150 IUCAW units initially on pilot basis in most crime prone districts of each state. The Home Minister passed these directions following surge in Crimes against women across the country. The project as per MHA would cost Rs 84 crore rupees annually, out of which 42 crore rupees will be provided by the Centre. It also said that out of total 2250 personnel required for the 150 IUCAWs, 750 will be women.

As per official sources, the state government has given cold shoulder over their establishment as it has not yet prepared any Detailed Project Report (DPR) regarding setting up of IUCAW in J&K.

“Every state is supposed to establish IUCAW to check crime against women. But till now there has been no communication from the state government to the centre,” an official said.

181 emergency helpline which was established in many states in India to actively respond to the women harassment cases is too waiting to be launched in Jammu and Kashmir.

The 181 service was launched by the union government in January 2013 and former Union Telecom Minister, Kapil Sibal at that time appealed all the chief ministers to allocate the three digit number ‘181' to their states so that it can be made a national helpline for women.

In many states, the 181 service has been merged with state police helpline numbers to respond to the emergency calls through referral however in J&K, the government is yet to initiate the process.

A senior official of Social Welfare Department said the government at the top has to take the decision for implementation of such facilities in the state.