The first “anti-women harassment and Violence Cell” has been established by Lahore police on Tuesday to ensure prompt registration of cases and investigation on merit.
According to a Punjab police spokesperson, “Pakistan will be the first country in the region to launch such an initiative,” he added, the cell will be the first choice of defense for helpless women in the province.
As per the report, it has been set up at Defence Area (B) Lahore police station. The IGP Inam Ghani had ordered all the field officers, after the Minar-e-Pakistan Mass harassment case, to establish the anti-harassment cells all over the province and hire victim sustenance officers to hear and address women victims’ problems.
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A meeting held under the chairmanship of Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar and in the presence of senior police officers comprising CTO Muntazir Mehdi, DIG Operations Sohail Chaudhary, SP Headquarters Imran Ahmad Malik, SSP Operations Waqar Shoaib Qureshi, SP Dolphin Squad Rashid Hayat, SP Cantt Sayyed, others, and media persons.
Besides this, Dogar also examined different units of the newly inaugurated anti–harassment cell of PS Defence Area (B) and reviewed the services provided at different desks.
The cell has four desks named Victim Feedback and Assistance Desk, Monitoring Desk, Victim Support Desk along with Investigation and Prosecution Desk.
- Victim Feedback and Assistance desks will be in charge of providing guidance and assistance to the victims when demanded through assistant helplines or in-person.
- The monitoring desk will have the duty to track down the history shelters of the questions involved in harassment cases and sexual violence
- The victim Support Desk will be in authority to assign victim a victim support officer in writing the moment FIR is registered. It will also help to check the working of Women Help Counters at police stations.
- The investigation and prosecution desks will have the duty to monitor the quality and speed of investigations and help the inquiry officers of the cases by simplifying the liaison.
