Gender Equality in Police Force
Gender Equality in Police Force
Why this petition matters
For Safety, Representation Matters!
I am scared of walking into a police station. No lie. From the last one year, the thought of meeting these khakkiclad men face-to-face sends shivers down my spine.
I know I have to get over this but it’s taking the time. I am a social worker and a law graduate. My work requires me to visit the local police station, but a series of incidents in the recent past have shamed and shaken my impression of the Odisha Police Department.
I cannot get past this brutal incident where a 14-year-old tribal girl at Biramitrapur in Sundargarh was raped for days in the police station and by the policemen.
In another incident, December 2019, a minor girl was abducted and raped in the police quarters by an ex-constable and his aide at Nimapada, Puri.
In the first six months of 2019, as many as 1,149 rape cases, including 604 involving minors, were registered in the state. The number of rape cases registered in the state in 2018 was 2,502 including 1430 cases involving minor girls. As many as 4,749 cases of rape of minor girls were reported in the state between 2014 and 2017.
I want to see more systematic changes take place in the Odisha police department to make Odisha safe for its womxn and children.
Join me in appealing to the Home Minister to make action plans by June 2021 to recruit more women to the police force.
In order to facilitate reporting of any womxn-related crime, each police station should preferably have at least half of its staff as women. Why?
Almost 50% of Odisha’s population comprises womxn, there are 59,387 police personals but only 5,730 are policewomen that is just 9.65%.
I believe by having more representation of police womxn will lead to a two-fold solution. First – Womxn will feel safe to visit a police station to report. Second – Policemen will become more conscious and refrain from any crimes as womxn police officers will have a strong voice and supporters within the police department.
I am confident by publicizing the plans of the government and putting in conscious efforts to recruit more womxn police, will go a long way for the state and its people.
Representation matters for gender equality and I am sure you all will support me in this campaign by signing the petition.
#Gender Equality in Police Force
Note: Womxn stands for a woman used, especially in intersectional feminism, as an alternative spelling to avoid the suggestion of sexism perceived in the sequences m-a-n and m-e-n, and to be inclusive of trans and non-binary women
Sources of facts:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/women-cops-in-state-seek-gender-friendly-uniform/articleshow/74519406.cms
https://www.google.com/amp/s/thewire.in/health/odisha-ncrb-2017-nfhs-4-gender-violence-women-empowerment/amp/
https://www.news18.com/news/india/third-accused-in-gang-rape-of-teenage-girl-in-odishas-puri-arrested-2415555.html
https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2731765060483992&id=1968933963433776&scmts=scwspsdd
https://odishatv.in/odisha-news/crime-against-women-odisha-in-top-10-infamy-states-410392
https://thewire.in/rights/odisha-tribal-minor-rape-case
*News of Crime by policemen*
1. Malkangiri district raped and murder of woman Worker in police canteen (argus tv,10 July 2020)
2. Jharigaan, Nabrangpur , 3 girls are sexually assaulted by home guard (Samaj 28.06.2020)
3. Lady home guard sexually assaulted by IIC in Sundergarh (Sambad 28 feb 2020)
4. Police SI raped minor girl in Sohela, Bargarh (11 Feb 2019 ,OTV)
5. IIC Birmitrapur Rourkela raped minor girl in police station (24 Jun 2020 ,samaj)
6. PSO raped woman in his house in Kandhamal (otv 16 Sep 2019)
7. Mayurbhanja Thakurmunda constable raped Disable woman (6 June 2020)
8. Puri gang rape case in Kumbharpada Thana raped by police SI with others in police quarter (3 Dec 2019)
9. Police constable raped a woman in Nimapara, Puri (OTV, 17/Oct 2019)
10. Police SI beating one lady in police station (05 March 2019)