Issuing special certificates of appreciation, the Kerala Women’s Commission has lauded the role played by the Kozhikode Rural police during the lockdown period in promptly addressing the grievances of women through various intensive action plans. Appreciation certificates were issued to District Police Chief (Kozhikode Rural) A. Srinivas and his team members for motivating the staff to execute the projects.
“The active functioning of a Domestic Conflict Resolution Centre (DCRC) was mainly taken into account by the women’s panel while issuing the appreciation certificate,” said Dr. Srinivas. He said the DCRC had turned out to be a pillar of support for many hapless women who approached the police with petitions on domestic violence, sexual assaults, and mental torture.
Officials heading the DCRC said there were over 50 serious complaints that were effectively handled by the centre. The team began field-level activities and awareness programmes by appointing a domestic violence survivor as the official mascot. The woman, who was then a trainee civil police officer in Kozhikode district, managed to inspire people and highlight the intention of the projects before the target group, they said.
The intervention of the cell also helped many women connect with local police stations. Cases that were ignored by the local police were directly handled by a separate investigation team appointed by the District Police Chief. Online and direct support of professional counsellors for victims and the deployment of a pink patrol squad were other highlights.
Steps to address the pandemic-induced stress among children and efforts to honour couples who followed the COVID-19 protocol at weddings also drew the attention of the panel. There were many online contests for children to keep them active at home. There were more than 50 couples who received certificates from the police for their cooperation in implementing the protocol.
Please Email the Editor