OSCs crucial in supporting women in distress: Sailaja

Rajamahendravaram: One Stop Centres play a crucial role in standing by women facing injustice and ensuring that victims receive timely justice and the necessary support, State Women’s Commission Chairperson Rayapati Sailaja said on Friday. She was the chief guest at an awareness programme organised for One Stop Centre staff at the Mother and Child Wing of the Government General Hospital here. The programme was conducted jointly by the National Commission for Women and the State Women’s Commission to improve the quality and speed of services provided to women in distress.

Speaking to the media later, Sailaja said special training and awareness programmes were being organised for OSC staff to strengthen their skills and enable them to provide faster and more effective assistance to victims. As part of the initiative, staff members of One Stop Centres from 16 districts participated in the programme held in Rajamahendravaram.

Sailaja said the primary objective of One Stop Centres was to provide women facing violence, harassment and other difficulties with various forms of assistance under one roof. The staff were given training on legal counselling, assistance in filing FIRs, documentation of cases in coordination with police officials and other legal procedures. The programme also covered the prescribed guidelines to be followed by OSC personnel, their responsibilities and the appropriate manner of dealing with victims. Experts from different fields explained the precautions to be taken while documenting cases involving women, the responsibilities of staff from registration of a case to follow-up action and the need for coordination with various departments to ensure timely assistance. Sailaja said special sessions with psychiatrists would also be organised to help OSC staff deal with the mental stress arising from their work with different types of cases. She stressed the need for staff to handle victims with sensitivity, maintain confidentiality and ensure that case details were properly documented. Effective coordination with the concerned departments was also essential for providing prompt assistance, she said. Kovvur RDO K Ananda Rao, DSP A Shivapriya, Government General Hospital Superintendent Sophia and others attended the programme.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Hans India