Women police head calls for more awareness, empowerment

Islamabad: The federal capital’s first and sole women police station’s head has called for awareness among country’s vulnerable class and urged to establish more police stations to empower womenfolk besides providing them justice at their doorsteps.

The women police stations across the country are playing due role to resolve women’s issues, but due to lack of awareness the desired goals are not being achieved, said Farzana Begum, Station House Officer of the sole women police station of the federal capital.

Talking to this agency, she said they look into any kind of offence related to women and those having cases of domestic violence mostly visit the women police station while other cases like rape, prostitution, drug addiction, robberies by female maids and other issues they visit male police stations.

“We are making efforts to make women confident to visit women police station, if they have any issue but what we lack is the awareness as not much people know about the women police stations and conducive environment we have for women so that they can come to us and share their problems to get them resolved, she said adding that it was the idea of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto who established the women police stations across the country to give voice to the women who had issues but they were reluctant to visit the police stations and share their problems in presence of male staff.

For taking action on domestic violence cases between couples or their families, she said we go for FIR when there is any injury according to the medical report but in other violence issues when there are only some wounds then we attempt to settle things among the families warning them to take care in future and resolve their matters peacefully instead of resorting to violent.

From capital’s ‘katchi abadis’ to the women of elite class, women belonging to all segments of the society approach for the matters in which they think that it is difficult for them to go to other police stations having presence of male staff and share their issues to get justice, she added.

Farzana Begum lamented the situation of increasing immorality in the capital city saying that poverty and unemployment was the main reason. Having the staff of over 20 females and around 15 male persons, she said their staff was never reluctant to raid on any place for which they have information of some criminal activity.

She called upon media to create awareness on the need of more women policing and the services.Media should also highlight the positive image of police instead of only highlighting its negative image.

This will help youngsters to see police as their role model and get encouraged to serve their country through this profession in the future, she added.After coming into the service of women police, the officers forget that they were women and maintaining their family life along with their professional duties never pressurises them, as they are available for their office even at late hours.

“Being a police officer is our way of life instead of a job she remarked,” she added.Indentifying the reason for increasing domestic violence and honour killing cases, she said society has become somehow intolerant and added the media programmes showing violence and negativity are among main reasons.