The Domestic Conflict Resolution Centre (DCRC) opened by the Kozhikode Rural Police a year ago in Vadakara is proving to be a pillar of support for many hapless women facing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and psychological torture. Till date, the rural centre has addressed 54 serious complaints, apart from offering professional counselling to the victims.
District Police Chief (Kozhikode Rural) A. Sreenivas said the project, which was launched on the directive of the National Women’s Commission in 2020, has Nouyjisha, a domestic violence survivor, as the official mascot.
At present, DCRS has two professional counsellors, apart from women police officers to take care of additional responsibilities. In the wake of the pandemic situation, the centre is also offering virtual support through telecounselling and online complaint submission services.
“Both reconciliatory and legal methods are adopted based on the gravity of the situation. First, we visit the houses of complainants for verification. Sadly, a majority of cases that we investigate pertain to torture by husbands and in-laws,” said Usha Devi, a Circle Inspector who heads the centre. She pointed out that there had been a rise in the number of confidential complaints owing to the full-fledged functioning of the special unit.
One of the advantages of DCRC is that it connects local police stations with complainants for quick follow-up action after the preliminary probe. Cases that are not properly investigated by local police stations are handed over to a separate investigation team after getting clearance from the District Police Chief.
Officials with DCRC said they expected a spike in the number of direct complaints after the lockdown, considering the fact that there were women who found it difficult to avail the online grievance redressal mechanism or telecounselling support. At the same time, officials made it clear that the Pink patrol squad was closely monitoring all suspected cases based on intelligence inputs.
