To help create a safe environment for the fairer sex in public places, streets, public transport, shopping malls, market areas and educational institutions, the city police have adopted people-friendly mode of policing to weave a safety network that can effectively address some of the perennial issues.
Following constitution of the Mahila Mitra teams and the Mahila Rakshaks as their arms, the department has now launched CLAPP (Community Led Action Programme by Police) in collaboration with the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care, in partnership with the city-based NGO Vasavya Mahila Mandali (VMM).
The aim of CLAPP is to deepen the understanding and heighten sensitivity of the members of the Mahila Mitra and the Mahila Rakshak teams on gender issues such as violence against women and sexual harassment at work place and design and implement solutions for prevention and redressal of the issues through collaboration with other stakeholders in the community.
To take the initiative to its logical end, the members would embrace the Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment (SARA) model, a cyclic problem-solving method.
Of the 20 police stations under the Vijayawada Police Commissionerate, 11 are urban, nine suburban and one is exclusively for women. A team of 10-15 Mahila Mitra comprising 95% female members who work for women empowerment operates under each of these police stations.
For a sustainable community-driven intervention, committees have been formed at four different levels from the grassroots to the Police Commissionerate-level. A typical Mahila Mitra structure has a core committee of 10 members, including senior city police officials. This is in addition to the five zonal committees for north, south, east, west and central zones.
To set CLAPP on the roll, a four-day training session has been scheduled at the VMM for Mahila Mitras, Mahila Rakshaks and other coordinators from January 22 to 25.
“The training programme will provide a platform for the stakeholders for a shared understanding on concepts of gender and gender-based violence, its impact and root causes and access and control over resources among other things. Together, we hope to make a difference for women in society,” said Keerthy B., technical support manager of the VMM.
