Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 17 2009:
Director of Social Welfare S Saratkumar Sharma has announced that women counselling centres would be set up in every police headquarters of the districts in the State.
Presiding over the inaugural function of a State level workshop on the 'Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005' organised by Department of Social Welfare at Khuman Lampak Youth Centre here today, Saratkumar assured that setting up of female counselling centres in every police headquarters of the districts in the State would help in referring women victims of domestic violence to homes of destitute women.
Victims can also approach these counselling centres to lodge their complaint without any fear and inhibition.
He further said that although Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act has been implemented in Manipur since November 2007 with Social Welfare Department as the nodal agency, there is the need for co-ordination between the police, counselling centres, NGOs and Govt officials towards successful implementation of the Act.
Chairperson of Manipur State Social Welfare Advisory Board RK Bidita Devi was the chief guest of the function.
Earlier, delivering the key note address of the function, Women Development Officer of Social Welfare Department Surrender A Shishak explained that along with completion of the process of appointing Protection Officers and Service Providers for all the districts of Manipur, the workshop has been organised to facilitate discussion on the roles that the police, homes, protection officers and other service providers are expected to play for successful implementation of the Act.
Among the resource persons who attended the workshop, Consultant of Collective Network Linthoi Seram spoke on the topic of 'Overview mechanism and procedure of Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act' and Chief Judicial Magistrate RK Memcha on 'Power and function of Magistrate under Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005' .
O Indira, a service provider from Thoubal District who participated in the workshop observed that individual who would not be performing their duties should not be appointed as the Protection Officer or Service Provider and proper training should be imparted.
She also pointed out that every police personnel should be made to understand the provisions of the Act.
Social Welfare Department should also find out and discuss why only a few service providers in Manipur are performing their duties efficiently while the rest are not being able to do so.