Hyderabad: Victims need to speak out, say cops, activists

Abids: The nation has witnessed drastic changes in terms of women's safety and their rights in the recent past, especially during the lockdown. But crimes against women continue and in fact they increased many times across the country since the pandemic outbreak last year.

The recent case that shook the nation to the core is of Ayesha from Gujrat who committed suicide following torturous treatment by her husband and in-laws, which forced her to take the extreme step. Hyderabad has also reported several cases that have forced women to resort to extreme steps, the recent being that of Mehraj Begum reported at Kulsumpura police station limits two days ago and another case of Deepika Prashant Goud in Malkajgiri PS limits.

Hyderabad city police women' safety wing reported around 4,855 cases of harassment in 2020. Many must have gone unnoticed, say observes. A number of cases including domestic violence and dowry harassment are rarely reported.

Though the police have taken steps providing safety to women who are tortured in the name of dowry and domestic violence, it is victims who must come forward and file complaints against such crimes. B Sumati, DIG-CID, Women Protection Cell, says unless the victim speaks out and registers an FIR, the police cannot interfere in the matter. There are a lot of steps taken to ensure safety of women in Hyderabad.

There is still scope for improvement, which the police is striving for and are reaching out to people. Awareness programmes are regularly being conducted so that women get to know how and where to get help from without disclosing their identity, she informs.

The dowry system puts great financial burden on the bride's family. In some cases, dowry leads to crime against women, ranging from emotional abuse, injury to even death. Payment of dowry has long been prohibited under specific Indian laws, including Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, and subsequently by Sections 304B and 498A of the Indian Penal Code.

A few social activists shared the dark side of a happy family picture. They point out that women even today, despite being educated, are not aware of their rights. They make themselves vulnerable for such situations. The reason being pride of the family or lack of support from parents. Sobiya Juveriya, a social activist working for women's safety, says women react when things go extreme. They should raise their voice in the very first attempt.

Though suicide can in no way be supported, women should be counselled, and steps should be taken to make them independent. She also says that suicide videos are creating problems. There should be strict laws on sharing of such videos.

Khaleda Parveen, another activist and marriage counsellor, says making daughters strong is the responsibility of parents. In the same way, supporting them at difficult times is also very important. You are doing the biggest mistake of leaving your child with that family in spite of knowing the situation, in the name of culture, she adds.