PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police on Friday launched the victim support services at the central police office to take care of the children and women victims of violence.

These services will help the police deal with these victims in a dedicated and specialised manner. Initially, these services will be rolled out in five districts, including Peshawar, Mardan, Charsadda, Abbottabad and Swat, according to a press release.

Women police officers trained in sensitive handling of vulnerable victims will provide these services with special emphasis on women and children.

The victim support officers trained by the Justice System Support Programme of DFID will improve police response to crimes against vulnerable persons, especially children and women.

Meanwhile, KP police chief Sanaullah Abbasi awarded certificates to the newly-trained victim support officers at completion of their training at the CPO.

On the occasion, he said the police would also be recruiting 29 new victim support officers to improve access to justice for women and children victims and increase conviction in such crimes to effectively implement the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rule of Law Roadmap.

He said children were the most vulnerable group in society due to their weak level of mental and physical development and the investigation of cases of child abuse were the most complex investigations and required specialised skills.

The IG committed to put special emphasis on building the capacity of the investigators dealing with the crimes against children and women.

An analysis of international best practices to deal and prevent cases of child abuse reveals that no single agency has the resources, manpower or legal mandate to prevent abuse of children; it is a multi-dimensional problem which requires a multidisciplinary and multiagency approach, the IGP noted.

Such victims need support from doctors, therapists, social workers, police, prosecutors, lawyers and the courts, he added.

The police chief also stressed greater focus on providing such services to the victims in the newly merged districts.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2020