As the country battles an alarming rise in the cases of rape and sexual exploitation, there comes a welcome step from the Bundi district of Rajasthan. The SP and DC of the district together launched an initiative to check the rising trend of such crimes against women, especially the young girls. IPS officer Jay Yadav along with IAS officer Ravindra Goswami came up with the initiative, ‘Mission Surakshit Bachhpan’, and launched it in 17 gram panchayats of the district.
Speaking with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Jay Yadav, who is the Superintendent of Police in Bundi, shared details about the initiative.
MISSION SURAKSHIT BACHHPAN
Using evidence-based policing approach to achieve visible outcomes through targeted interventions, Bundi police did lots of data analysis to select the gram panchayats where maximum POCSO cases are reported.
The police conducted data analysis of the last three years to find out where the maximum cases were being registered in the blocks and gram panchayats, the age group of children against whom maximum such crimes were committed. This is called evidence-based policing.
Through the data analysis, they got to know that 13-18 years is the age group of the maximum number of victims. They also found out which are the communities who reported the maximum number of cases that were registered.
“With this approach, we also found out that most number of cases were being registered from the month of March to July. We also analyzed that 12% minor boys and 88% minor girls were victims of sexual assault,” Mr. Yadav said.
It was also found out that the accused in 90% of sexual assault and rape cases are relatives or someone known to the minor survivor and they are mostly from the same community, and 99% of the accused in these cases are not hardcore criminals, but first timers only.
CRACKING DOWN ON POCSO CASES
The officer selected 17 gram panchayats which had more than three cases of POCSO and kidnapping in the last three years. “We are targeting these 17 gram panchayats to turn them into model child protection gram panchayats in the next one year with proactive policing and by focussing on keeping zero POCSO cases in the district,” he said.
Secondly, they are creating 3-member committees of people who have influence in the villages, and involving constables, SHOs, administration people, sarpanch and gram sevak to create awareness and take immediate action if any such happenings are known beforehand so that the crime can be prevented.
Mr. Yadav further informed that they will take similar steps in other gram panchayats as well, but right now their main focus is to intervene in these select gram panchayats who have more than three POCSO cases each. “If the crime reduces in these gram panchayats, then, ultimately, the crime cases will reduce in the whole district. We are also doing programmes in schools to make the children aware about the same,” he said.
PLANNING MODEL GRAM PACHAYAT
These gram panchayats will be rewarded at the district level if they turn into model child protection gram panchayat. The police administration has taken the help of NGO Action Aid to conduct a data-based scientific study on crime against minor girls.
“There are people in the villages who are well aware about such incidents, but they try to hide and avoid things because of the fear of society. People come and register the case when an incident happens, but if they tell us beforehand, then we can intervene and stop it from taking a face of crime,” Mr. Yadav told Indian Masterminds.
He further said that it’s not possible to bring crime rate to zero, but their main aim and focus is to reduce the number of such crimes in the district. In accordance with this plan, the locals and students of Dalunda village in the district were commissioned to take an oath to make the gram panchayat a model for safe childhood.
