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Cops launch helpline for women, kids
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Shocking incident of molestation of two NRI women on New Year’s night at Juhu prompted authorities to introduce round-the-clock assistance
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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
I N A first of its kind in the country, the Mumbai Police on Thursday launched its 103 helpline to provide round the clock assistance to women, children and senior citizens in the city. Aimed at protecting the vulnerable sections of society, the need for such a helpline was necessitated after the shocking incident in which two NRI women were molested by a crowd of men at Juhu on New Year’s night.
The helpline was launched by Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil at the Azad Maidan Police Club on Thursday evening. Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Chitkala Zutshi, and Mumbai Police Commissioner D N Jadhav were also present at the function. Newsline had first reported the police’s plans to launch a helpline, whereby women, juveniles and senior citizens could dial 103 from landline telephones or mobile phones to seek assistance of any sort. A team of specially-trained policemen have been assigned the task of attending calls in attentively, and in a patient and courteous manner. Depending on the nature and importance of a distress call, the police vehicle nearest to the concerned spot will be rushed there. “As the home minister, I feel especially proud to announce that the Mumbai Police have launched the first of its kind helpline. The important thing is not the helpline being launched, but the challenge that lies ahead for the police to attend to each and every call in time and avert anything untoward swiftly. Any necessary infrastructure will be provided to this end. Our response time is at par with the London police,” said Patil. “Although Maharashtra is the land of several social reformers, women’s issues still need to be addressed. Last year 168 dowry deaths, 1,312 rapes and 995 abductions took place in the city, besides 6,529 crimes committed against women were perpetrated by their in-laws,” said Patil. Commenting on exploitation of children, Patil said that 30,000 chil dren have been rescued from the streets of Mumbai, and that 80 per cent of the city was child-labour free. “After Mumbai woke up to photographs of two women being molested on New Year’s night, it became a major impact issue. The need was strongly felt for such a helpline. The majority of the credit for the launch of this helpline should be given to the women’s bodies and NGOs who took an initiative in this regard,” said Joint Commissioner of Police, Law and Order, K L Prasad. Speaking at the function, social worker Nandita Shah of the Cam paign to Stop Violence Against Women, said, “This is a great day, and a powerful effort. Women will now know that there is someone to protect them and help them. This helpline is a serious commitment from the state, and we want such a helpline across the country.” I N A first of its kind in the country, the Mumbai Police on Thursday launched its 103 helpline to provide round the clock assistance to women, children and senior citi- zens in the city. Aimed at protect- ing the vulnerable sections of soci- ety, the need for such a helpline was necessitated after the shocking incident in which two NRI women were molested by a crowd of men at Juhu on New Year’s night. The helpline was launched by Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil at the Azad Maidan Police Club on Thursday evening. Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Chitkala Zutshi, and Mumbai Police Com- missioner D N Jadhav were also present at the function. Newsline had first reported the police’s plans to launch a helpline, whereby women, juveniles and se- nior citizens could dial 103 from landline telephones or mobile phones to seek assistance of any sort. A team of specially-trained policemen have been assigned the task of attending calls in atten- tively, and in a patient and courte- ous manner. Depending on the nature and importance of a dis- tress call, the police vehicle near- est to the concerned spot will be rushed there. “As the home minister, I feel es- pecially proud to announce that the Mumbai Police have launched the first of its kind helpline. The important thing is not the helpline being launched, but the challenge that lies ahead for the police to at- tend to each and every call in time and avert anything untoward swiftly. Any necessary infrastruc- ture will be provided to this end. Our response time is at par with the London police,” said Patil. “Although Maharashtra is the land of several social reformers, women’s issues still need to be ad- dressed. Last year 168 dowry deaths, 1,312 rapes and 995 ab- ductions took place in the city, be- sides 6,529 crimes committed against women were perpetrated by their in-laws,” said Patil. Commenting on exploitation of children, Patil said that 30,000 chil- dren have been rescued from the streets of Mumbai, and that 80 per cent of the city was child-labour free. “After Mumbai woke up to pho- tographs of two women being mo- lested on New Year’s night, it be- came a major impact issue. The need was strongly felt for such a helpline. The majority of the credit for the launch of this helpline should be given to the women’s bodies and NGOs who took an initiative in this regard,” said Joint Commissioner of Po- lice, Law and Order, K L Prasad. Speaking at the function, social worker Nandita Shah of the Cam- paign to Stop Violence Against Women, said, “This is a great day, and a powerful effort. Women will now know that there is some- one to protect them and help them. This helpline is a serious commitment from the state, and we want such a helpline across the country.”
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