Tirupati: Centre for Women's Safety works towards gender-neutral society

Tirupati: The Centre for Women's Safety established at Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (SPMVV) in January 2021, has been making rapid strides in fulfilling its objectives. The Centre was set up in collaboration with the AP police with a motive to enhance women's safety in the state and to work towards creation of a safe and secure environment for women and children.

Keeping in line with its objectives, the Centre has been conducting capacity building programmes to police personnel aimed at updating knowledge. Also, it was organising seminars, workshops and sensitisation programmes and involving women as active participants in the process of change and promoting research in the field.

The University has appointed three coordinators from its faculty. While Dr Madhuri Paradesi is the legal coordinator, Dr N Rajani and Dr P Neeraja have been nominated as programme coordinators. Dr Neeraja told The Hans India that the coordinators were chosen from the departments of Women's Studies, Psychology and Law and all of them are always approachable to the needy. She said the Centre has been trying to instil confidence which is essential to construct a gender-neutral society by breaking stereotyped traditional attitudes. Apart from several programmes held by the Centre, it organised a webinar on data privacy and social media safety in association with national and AP State Women's Commissions and Cyber Peace Foundation. Awareness on Disha App, balanced diet, role of police in combating crimes against women, webinar on raising legal age of marriage for women are some of the other programmes held by the Centre so far. The Centre also provides family counselling and counselling service for women with trauma of violence. The Centre is planning to introduce certificate courses on skills development in women and in the process of formulating the criteria and modalities.