Hyderabad, May 28: People who are wary of visiting a police station to file a complaint of domestic violence can now file the same at the nearest Anganwadi Centre in the city.
The District Women and Child Development Agency (DWCDA), Hyderabad has decided to accept petitions under the Domestic Violence (DV) Act at all the Anganwadi Centres to ensure strict and unbiased implementation of the law.
J Vijaya Bhaskhar, an official of the DWCDA, Hyderabad told Expresso that they have decided to accept petitions from victims under the Domestic Violence Act at the centres in the city as well as the district.
“Often, victims in family disputes, whether it is wife, mother-in-law, sister, brother or husband hesitate to go and file a petition at the police station as they are not sure of getting justice and carry an impression that cops would take sides. They do not have any such fears to approach an Anganwadi centre. From our side, we will try to get them speedy justice,” he said.
The DWCDA officials would accept petitions from victims on various problems like physical violence, including beating, pushing, causing pain or criminal intimidation; sexual violence covering any conduct of a sexual nature such as forced sex, forced exposure to pornographic material, sexual act with minors; emotional or verbal violence including insults, humiliation, ridicule for not having a male child, preventing a woman from taking a job, forcing marriage against a woman’s will; and economic violence covering deprivation of money, medicines, forcing a woman to quit her job, not allowing her to use her partner’s salary, facilities, not paying rent and forcing her out.
The agency has a network of about 750 Anganwadi centres in the city and district. Since the complaint cell was opened recently, it has received over 1,000 complaints at different Anganwadi centres in its purview. While a few of the cases have been solved by counselling the family members, the rest are in courts, he said.
“With limited or no understanding of the Act, women are unable to benefit from the law. It has laid down stringent rules to punish those who harass or insult women at home,” the officials said calling for greater public awareness on the Domestic Violence Act.
Elaborating on the Act, Vijaya Baskhar said the Act provided protection for women not only from physical or sexual abuses but also from other manifestations of violence such as psychological, verbal and economic.
What constitutes domestic violence
Physical violence: beating, pushing, causing pain or criminal intimidation;
Sexual violence: any conduct of a sexual nature such as forced sex, forced exposure to pornographic material, sexual act with minors;
Emotional or verbal violence: insults, humiliation, ridicule for not having a male child, preventing a woman from taking a job, forcing marriage against a woman’s will
Economic violence: deprivation of money, medicines, forcing a woman to quit her job, not allowing her to use her partner’s salary, facilities, not paying rent, forcing her out.
—Agencies