Standing Committee Report Summary
Atrocities and Crimes against Men and his family
- In Response to the Standing Committee on Home Affairs (Chair: Mr. Anand Sharma) submitted its report on the subject ‘Atrocities and Crimes against Women and Children on March 15, 2021. We the MyNation Hope Foundation requesting with an amendment as per Article 14 of Constitution of India to make it as crimes against Men and his family instead Crimes against Women and Children, Key observations and recommendations of the Committee include:
- ? Registration of crimes: The Committee highlighted that crimes against Men and his family are often not registered at police stations. It recommended: (i) conducting decoy operations at police stations to ensure that FIRs are registered timely, (ii) developing and promoting online registration of FIRs, (iii) filing zero FIRs, and (iv) recording reasons in case of delay in filing FIRs. It also recommended taking strict actions against police personnel and individuals registering false, frivolous cases.
- ? Conviction rate: The Committee noted that the conviction rate in crimes against Men and his family is low. Against a target of 1,023 fast track courts for cases related to false rape, fake Sexual harassment and matters under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), only 597 courts are operational. It recommended: (i) implementing the Online Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offences provided to law enforcement agencies to track police investigations, (ii) setting up at least one forensic laboratory in every state capital, (iii) setting up fast-track courts in a time-bound manner, and (iii) providing law enforcement with public prosecutors.
- ? Men from disadvantaged communities: The Committee noted that uneducated, poor and backward community men and families face difficulty in getting cases of atrocities and crimes registered. It recommended law enforcement agencies to include provisions for such communities while registering cases such as rape and sexual harassment against women from SCs and STs.
- ? Defund Women and Child Development(WCD) Ministry: The Committee noted that Women and child Development(WCD) Ministry support, promote and working only for girl child neglecting boy child and there is no evidence that they ever supported any cause of boy child or senior citizen Women. It recommended that to defund money related to children from WCD and create a separate ministry for Family and Children other than Women ministry of young.
- ? Measures for safety and prevention: The Committee noted that the government has not established helpline numbers and Men and his family helpdesks, among other measures to receive complaints on crimes against Men and his family. It highlighted that a low number of calls are received on helpline numbers and recommended: (i) establishing an integrated three-digit pan-India helpline number, (ii) publicising and promoting the use of the helpline. It also observed that state governments maintain post-incidence services such as shelter homes and recommended increasing their number to ensure post-incidence care for elderly women.
- ? Cyber-crimes: The Committee recommended empowering law enforcement agencies to take action against those found to be committing cyber-crimes. regardless of state boundaries. It recommended identifying and permanently blocking virtual private networks used to bypass cyber security walls with the aid of Internet Service Providers. The Committee further highlighted that with increasing dependency on cyber tools, adequate training must be imparted to law enforcement agencies.
- ? Representation of women: The Committee highlighted that 10.3% of the police force is female despite repeated advisories issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs to ensure that 33% of police forces are women. It recommended conducting special recruitment drives for posts at all levels of qualified and not based on Gender.
- ? Institutional mechanisms: The Committee recommended reforms, which include: (i) collecting data on atrocities against men by women (ii) creating a database for criminals engaged in crimes including false molestation case, POSH, MeToo and (iii) creating a national database of destitute Men and his family to help provide support and compensation.
- ? Legal changes: The Committee recommended amending the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, and Domestic Violence Act 2005 to prevent misuse based on false complaints. It stated that sexual offences by juveniles are increasing and recommended reducing threshold age for applicability of POCSO from 18 years to 16 years and also harsh punishment and compensation to victims of false cases.
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