It has not been a good month, for the eastern parts of Kollam. Suicides, juvenile offenders, child brides, domestic abuse, missing person cases, the list seems endless, and the picture bleak.
However, the cops have come up with a seemingly sustainable solution, one that involves vital emotional support, to the victims of crimes.
Nine police stations, under the Kollam subdivision, will soon commence Nanma counselling centres, in an attempt to help victims, by providing support. The authorities hope this will help curb surging crime rates as well.
According to Punalur Dy. SP. B Krishnakumar, the majority of the population is socially and economically disadvantaged. Hence, the counselling centres, attached to Punalur, Pathanapuram, Kunnicode, Anchal, Eroor, Kulathapuzha, Thenmala, Kadakkal and Chadayamangalam police stations, will be helping crime victims and their relatives, cope with trauma.
The police departments will contact all the victims of the cases registered in the respective stations, within the last two years. A team of experts comprising of psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors, ASHA workers, teachers, Kudumbasree workers, SC/ST promoters, NGO’s and ORC volunteers, will handle the counselling sessions.
The absence of legal information is a big factor when it comes to child marriages and domestic violence cases because the tribal communities living in the region do not know this information and consider child marriage as a usual occurrence, according to Mr Krishnakumar.
Due to this, law enforcement has no choice but to register a case against the husband and remand him. The senior officer mentions 3 cases in the last 2 months, where the helpless husbands were arrested for rape.
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For the victims and offenders who come for counselling, separate rooms with a separate entry to the station will be provided. At the same time, the Nanma team will be visiting schools and homes, to spread awareness, in the hope that the crime rates in the region come down.