LAHORE: The Violence against Women Center (VAWC), the first of its kind, is going to be connected online with all police stations in Multan district and 15 emergency helpline to improve coordination against gender-based crimes.

Multan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Javed Akbar Riaz on Wednesday held a meeting with VAWC Manager Muneeza Butt at his office. Women Police Station SHO Zainab Malik and Ms Naila were also present in the meeting.

Muneeza Butt briefed the RPO about the working of the centre and sought improvement in coordination of the police with the center. She also briefed him on the Women Protection Act and Rape Case Enforcement Act.

Mr Riaz said all the police stations of the Multan region would be connected through IT system with VAWC to take timely action against people involved in harassment, torture, sexual abuse and other cases against women.

He said the women centre had been established to eliminate all kinds of violence against women and these measures were being taken to provide protection to women.

He said they would resolve problems faced by the VAWC related to police and a better working relationship would be established. Women Police Station SHO Ms Malik told Dawn that the center was facing problems including communication and medical certificates of the victims.

She said they visited the ROP to discuss the issues for better management of the cases and requested him to refer all gender-based crimes to the center.

Muneeza Butt told Dawn that the center was facing problem in reaching the victims as women were reporting to their nearby police station and not approaching the centre.

She said the RPO had directed the police to give access to 15 helpline call about violence against women to the center and all the SHOs of the Multan district would be given training in the center how to refer the cases to center.

Muneeza Butt further said that they were trying to build coordination, mechanism and a working plan to give access to women to the center. “We are also planning to give transport to the victims of domestic violence and other abuses to the center to provide better legal cover to cases,” she said.

She said they would also meet the secretary transport and deputy commissioner to develop a route of the buses operating in the city to the gate of the center so that the women could feel safe to approach the center.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2022