Nod for Nirbhaya home

Administrative sanction has been accorded to the construction of a new Nirbhaya shelter home at ₹2.78 crore on a plot at Pulayanarkotta, where the government care home under the Social Justice Department is currently located. The Kerala State Construction Corporation will carry out the work.

Minister for Social Justice K.K. Shylaja said the new shelter home was being constructed to ensure proper facilities to those who stayed in shelter homes.

The three-storeyed building extends to an area of 6,000 sq ft. It will have a library, recreation room, yoga centre, health club, basketball and tennis courts, a modern kitchen, work area, and other facilities. The facility, which can house 120 residents, is expected to be completed in one and a half years.

The Nirbhaya shelter homes have been set up to provide rehabilitation and protection to victims of sexual assault.

12 so far

Kerala has 12 such homes, housing around 350 residents. The district has three shelter homes. The aim is to provide the residents education and proper health care to help them recover from the trauma and return to their houses within two years. The homes now have residents who are pursuing up to professional courses as well as those have secured employment.

Police officer R. Nishanthini has been appointed the State co-ordinator of Nirbhaya. Dhanya Menon, the country’s first woman cyber forensic investigator, has been appointed cybercrime consultant, in view of the increasing cases of exploitation of girls and women in the cyber world.