Pact signed for extension of ‘Madhyam’ in Twin City for two years more

Reported by Santosh Jagdev
Bhubaneswar, Sep 4:

Keeping in view the effectiveness of ‘Madhyam’, the women support centres rendering special care to women victims of violence in Twin City (Bhubaneswar-Cuttack), the commissionerate police on Thursday extended the agreement with Institute for Social Development (ISD) and Oxfam India for the next two years.

The extension agreement was signed between the two parties at the end of the one-year agreement signed by the commissionerate police with ISD for functioning of one women support centre (WSC) each for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The support centres was created to provide police assistance to women who are subjected to violence in different forms to redress their grievances.

The centres,e inaugurated by the Director General of Police, Odisha in the presence of twin city Commissioner of Police, became functional in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack on September 3 last year.

Since then the WSCs have been providing counselling support to women victims of violence like broken relationships, sexual harassment, rape, molestation, eve-teasing, stalking, false promises of marriage, kidnapping and abduction, trafficking, cyber crime, voyeurism and domestic violence.

Till date, 224 and 202 cases have been reported at Cuttack and Bhubaneswar WSC respectively. Out of these cases, staff of Madhyam have solved 225 cases, informed Public Relation Officer of Commissionerate Police ACP Bishnu Mishra.

It is also extending support for legal, medical assistance, shelter and rehabilitation to the women victims as and when needed.

While these WSCs have been doing their tasks through trained social scientists and psychologists, the commissionerate police have provided space for those centres, identity cards to the counsellors, vehicles and police support whenever required, the ACP said, adding, periodic meetings with counsellors and ISD officials are held by the commissionerate police to review the functioning of WSCs.