Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia hosted a policy consultation on Thursday to seek suggestions aimed at adding more teeth to laws governing the safety of women and children in the city.
Mr. Sisodia is at the helm of a Group of Ministers (GoM) that was recently-mandated with the task of preparing a report on suitable amendments in criminal laws to ensure ‘harsh punishments’ to those guilty of committing heinous crimes, especially against women.
“This policy consultation was conducted with numerous activists, lawyers and NGOs working in the sphere of women and child welfare across Delhi. Some of the organizations involved were Salaam Baalak Trust, Butterflies, Chuppi Todo Campaign, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, Haq Center for Child Rights, Badhte Kadam, Chetna and Save the Children, among others,” said a senior government official.
According to the official, the participants provided detailed responses, which are being considered by the GoM. At the core of these are exploring the legal possibilities of the provision of life imprisonment or death penalty to those found guilty of heinous crimes against women and children, besides reducing the age of criminal responsibility in such cases from 18 to 15 years.
“Thursday’s consultations focussed on the rights of a minor survivor of heinous crime to compensation, adequate and comprehensive representation in court, interim relief for survivors, improving implementation of norms under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and ensuring rigorous punishment,” the official added.
Later in the day, Mr. Sisodia presided over a similar consultation with students from student communities of the North-East, academics instrumental in setting up North-Eastern Cells, experts working against human trafficking and domestic violence, and activists working on gender sensitization and cross-cultural harmony.
This consultation, the government said in a statement, led to a discussion on ‘several interesting ideas and suggestions’ related to the issues of housing for North-Eastern girls, and lack of clarity about the existing Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC) and Indian Penal Code (IPC) when it comes to crime against women.
The Deputy CM is heading a Group of Ministers entrusted with the task of preparing
a report on amendments in criminal laws
