Nirbhaya

The Directorate of WCD acts as the nodal implementing organisation for all the programmes of the State Government as well as programmes of Central Government.

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Kerala which has the distinction of havng achieved the highest levels of female literacy, education and health and the lowerst maternal and child mortality rates in India, as well as an enviable male-female ratio is also the state which is facing severe challenges in social arena. 

Despite their high level of education including univeristy education, the visibility of women in the political, cultural, literacy and social fields is negligible. This is also a state which has a high level of reported cases of suicides and mental depression and very low female work participation rates. Distorted notions of male-female relationships find expression in violence against women in the form of molestation, rape and other forms of abuse raising disturbing questions about safety of women and children that society as a whole, both men and women, need to address.

In the recent years, sex trafficking in Kerala has assumed different forms at various levels-local, inter district, inter state and even cross-border as well as in homes, at a scale that raises significant social concerns. The occurences of instances of sexual violence and sex trafficking creates a situation that questions the safety of women and children in both public and private domain. Sexual violence against women and children is deep rooted in the patriarchal perception of power which is prevalent across the globe. Sex trafficking of women and children is a multi-dimensional problem encompassing a whole range of economic, educational, social, developmental and cultural issues, which are varied and highly complex.

Human trafficking is the third largest organized crime in the world and is defined by United Nations as "recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by menas of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a persons having control over another persons, for the purpose of exploitation".

To combat child abuse, sexual violence and sex trafficking, three main areas of interventon will be required:- 

  • Prevention- By addressing the root causes of this problem including empowerment of vulnerable groups, targeting contributing factors such as gender discrimination, alchoholism, consumerism etc. and preparing communities to be vigilant and thwart any attempts to commit the crime.

  • Protection-By initiating strong corrective and remedial measures and providing an enabling environment in the form of protection services for the victims to heal, recover, empower and reintegrate back to the society.

  • Prosecution- By ensuring a strong rule of law which will be a deterant for such crimes to recur. 

Sexual violence against women and children and sex trafficking are serious offences and declares its deep and steadfast commitment to provide relief to the victims and to prosecute the perpetrators besides areatinf a safe and enabling environment for its women and children. For combatting Sexual Violence against women and children and to safeguard them against trafficking for exploitation, the Kerala Government formulated Nirbhaya Policy. A comprehensive Policy and Action Plan with multi-stakeholder convergence. The policy is aimed at 

  1. Prevention of sexual violence against women & children

  2. Protection of sexual violence victims

  3. Prosecution of sexual violence perpetrators

  4. Rehabilitation of sexual violence survivors

  5. Re-integration of sexual violence survivors

To co-ordinate the Nirbhaya Programme a seperate cell (Nirbhaya Cell) has been created under the Directorate of Social Justice headed by an officer of the rank of Joint Director. The State-level Co-ordination committee will nominate members from the state committee to associate with the Nirbhaya cell and support implementation. 

State level Co-ordination Committee (34 members)

Hon. Chief Minister

Chairman

Hon. Minister for Panchayat & Social Justice

Vice Chairman

Hon. Minister for Home & Vigilance

Vice Chairman

Hon. Minister for Youth Affairs

Vice Chairperson

Chief Secretary to Govt.


Principal Secretary, Social Justice

Convenor 

Director of Social Justice

Joint Convenor

 & 27 other members



District level Nirbhaya Committee (27 members)

Chairperson of DPC

Chairperson

District Collector

Vice-Chairperson

District Social Justice Officer

Convenor

District Probation Officer

Joint Convenor

SP/ City Police Commissioner


District Medical Officer


& 21 other members



Jagrata Samitis

Panchayat President/Chairperson of Municipality/Corporation Mayor 

Chairperson

Standing Committee Chairperson ( for all ULGs)


Woman Panchayat member/ Municipal Ward Councillor


Doctor of PHC/CHC


Kudumbashree CDS Chairperson


Woman Lawyer (Nominated by DLSA)


CI/ SI of local police station


Woman SC/ST Panchayath member or social activist


One Convenor of ward level Jagrata Samitis


ICDS Supervisor / CDPO

Convenor 


NIRBHAYA-TOLL FREE NUMBER- 1800 425 1400

Beneficiaries

Women

Children

Documents

State Policy Nirbhaya State Policy- English
State Policy Nirbhaya State Policy- Malayalam
SOP/Protocol NIRBHAYA Policy-One Stop Crisis Cell-Guidelines Issued
SOP/Protocol One Stop Crisis Cell- Standard Operating Procedures