Crime against women, children protested
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 05 2013 : Denouncing increasing cases of crime against women and children, rights activists staged a day-long sit-in protest at Keishampat lairembi community hall and demanded setting a 24-hour toll free women's helpline service.

The protest demonstration was jointly organised by Women in Governance (WinG) Manipur, Manipur Alliance for Child Rights (MACR) and Sustainable Livelihood Forum Manipur.

Taking serious note of recent spurt in sexual assault of women and minor girls as well as incidents of murdering the rape victims, MACR convenor K Pradipkumar, referring to the Supreme Court ruling in the wake of the Delhi gang-rape case, strongly advocated implementation of the apex court's directives in the State to check rampant injustices against women and children.

He also mooted that setting up fast track courts in all the districts of Manipur, expeditious judgement on all rape cases and completing legal processes on pending cases of crime against women and children within a 60 days period would be helpful in not only delivering justice to the victims and their families but would also effectively curb sexual assault cases.

Advocating stringent action against perpetrators of criminal acts, Pradipkumar suggested that life imprisonment of rape case convicts and death penalty for rapist murderers would be some effective legal procedures to bring down rate of crime against women.

Sit-in-protest staged against crime against women and children

Cautioning that any sort of leniency against perpetrators of criminal acts would only aggravate the situation as criminals would be encouraged to indulge in more heinous crimes, he also voiced the protestors' demand for setting up a toll free round the clock helpline under the supervision of women commission.

According to a WinG convenor Nonibala Narengbam a number of cases related to crime against women and children remain inconclusive in the State.

Citing absence of stringent punitive action against the accused persons as one of the factors for the State continuing to witness various crimes against women and children, she also accused both the law makers and law enforcement agencies of lacking commitment to launch effective crackdown on criminals.

Maintaining that a young housewife was raped by her neighbour at a Thoubal district locality on December 28, Nonibala alleged that rather than initiating counselling or providing psychological support the victim was harassed in police custody.

Strongly condemning the alleged victimisation of the victim, she also deplored the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thoubal remanding the victim to five days police custody.

Stating that she had never come across a rape victim being remanded to police custody, the convenor also regretted that both the Investigating Officer concerned in the Thoubal rape case as well as the CJM are women, who failed to uphold and protect dignity of a woman.

Nonibala also suggested that policies need to be worked out and put in place for rehabilitation of women victims and protect children from crimes besides active participation and contribution of NGOs in transforming the society to a safer place for women and children.