Nirbhaya Fund: Training for college girls for their security

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The State Government has decided to train college girls with the Centre's 'Nirbhaya Fund' to prevent crimes against women at their initial stages.

The Social Welfare Department is taking up the matter with the Government of India for fund allocation from the Nirbhaya Fund.

State Social Welfare Director Bibhash Chandra Modi spelled out the purpose of the training. He said, "This training is to make college girls physically and mentally strong, aware, prepared and ready for any untoward situation that may occur in everyday life on any given day. We have chosen 316 state colleges, including all private and government colleges of Guwahati, for the training.

"We will hire experts for this training. They will impart training to college girls in groups. After that, the trained girls will impart training to their juniors. The first stage of the training includes ensuring cyber safety and security, psychosomatic analysis, tackling misbehaviour in lifts and while travelling in shared taxis, etc.

"The purpose is to stop crimes against women at their initial stages. The State Government does not have to spend a single penny for this training as the funds come from the Centre. Some states have already started such training for college girls.

"I have already talked to the government for the training and got the go-ahead signal. We have also written to the Centre for allocation of funds to the state. If everything goes as planned, we will start the training from next year."

The Government of India set up a dedicated fund called 'Nirbhaya Fund' to enhance the safety and security of women in the country. The Centre floated the fund in 2013 after the 2012 heinous gang rape in New Delhi.

According to official records, in 2005, Assam registered 899 molestation cases that rose to 4,143 in 2018. Likewise, in 2005, the state witnessed 1,456 kidnapping cases of girls and women. The number of such cases rose to 11,999 in 2018.

In the face of the rising crime graph against girls and women in the state, such training to college girls is need of the hour, sources said.

Also Read: 22,039 crime cases against women; 5,350 cases against children in Assam

Also watch: