Kasargod, December 22: With incidents of sexual harassment of women and children on the rise in Kasargod and other parts of the state, a special advisory meeting convened at the district police headquarters here called for more vigilance on the part of the police to initiate stern action against the culprits.
At the meeting, attended by Childline, Legal Services Society, NGOs, and Women Cell officials, the participants underscored the need for the local police to be more active and vigilant in resolving cases of excesses on women and girls children rather than reducing such incidents as mere family issues.
The participants also said that the police or the vigilance panel formed at panchayats usually did not reach out to the grassroots level. District Superintendent of Police S. Surendran said there were a large number of sexual abuse cases that went unreported in the district.
“The committee intended to prevent such activities found that only 24 schools across the district have counsellors. We will ask the Departments of Education and Social Welfare to post counsellors at every school,” the officer said. The awareness campaign on the abuses faced by women and girls should begin at home, and school authorities should create a 'vigilant campus,' where children are closely monitored by teachers,” he said.
The committee directed schools to involve Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) in the awareness programme and sought extension of counselling to parents too. The committee will be expanded to assure representation of people from all strata of society from across the district, including the police, he said. The juvenile police team in the district would conduct a special drive to spot minors involved in offensive activities and take corrective steps to bring them back to mainstream society.
Mr. Surendran also urged the schools to make a list of students abstaining from classes.
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