The main aim of the Domestic Violence Module at Women Safety Wing is to deal with issues related to domestic violence and dowry harassment. It monitors cases, brings awareness and acts as a coordinator among different stakeholders dealing with women and child Safety.
Domestic violence encompasses various forms of abuse inflicted by a person’s biological relatives, predominantly affecting women through male family members. This abuse extends beyond physical harm, encompassing verbal, emotional, sexual, and economic violence, leaving victims devastated and powerless to assert their rights. To combat such abuses, several laws have been enacted over time, starting with the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1861, which criminalized the giving and receiving of dowry.
In 1983 and 1986, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was amended with the introduction of Sections 498A and 304B, addressing cruelty by husband or relatives and dowry deaths, respectively.
In December 2023, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was enacted, replacing the IPC as the criminal code of India, with provisions that address offences related to domestic violence. The BNS came into effect on July 1, 2024, modernizing criminal law to better reflect contemporary societal values and ensuring more effective protection for victims of domestic violence.
Additionally, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) of 2005, a civil law, broadened the definition of domestic violence to include physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and economic abuse, providing a more comprehensive framework for the protection of women.
Making an entry into the petition register upon being approached.
The petitioner is sent to module I/C officer, the module I/C officer examines the petition, makes contact with the concerned PS SHO and discusses facts of the petition for speedy disposal.
The details of the petition enter into Phase-I and II proforma and sent to the concerned unit with a memo by offering action taken & report through Phase-III proforma to this office at an early date.
The Module staff does the follow up and collects the action reports from concerned units and submits reports to superior officers.
With the coronavirus pandemic putting the entire country in lockdown, the Telangana police is leveraging technology in providing domestic violence counseling. An IVR system was established with a pool of expert counselors who handle every case that comes over the call. The IVR System receives the calls and seeks the preferred language for the caller. Based on the selected language the call gets routed to the counselor available. Counselors residing at home take the case over a call and provide the necessary counseling adhering COVID19 norms. The IVR system automatically routes the call to the same counselor if the victim wants to have multiple interactions.
The technology has helped the police to monitor the entire process remotely and record the total interaction digitally. It also helped in assessing the quality of the counselors. An android and iPhone app were also provided to the counselors to assist them in accessing the victim’s details, log counseling information, and to access call recordings.
