Mumbai cops will now counsel first-time sexual offenders

The Nirbhaya squads formed under the lsquoSakshamrsquo initiative to offer support to sexual abuse and assault survivors will now counsel firsttime sexual offenders police said on Wednesday ldquoDuring a meeting of all five Saksham units we discussed that if an accused in molestation rape or eve teasing case gets bail police should request the court to send him for counselling at one of these unitsrdquo said Charan Gudipati Forensic psychologist Mpower The Foundation The move has received a mixed response from activists and lawyersConfirming the development Joint Commissioner of Police Law and Order Vishwas Nangre Patil told midday ldquoWe will take preventive measures to prevent such crimes and strict action against accused found to be committing such offences repeatedly We will also counsel firsttime sexual offendersrdquoThe city has four Saksham unitsWomen rights activist Advocate Abha Singh appreciated the move but expressed scepticism of its effect on people ldquowith the mindset of hardened criminalsrdquoWomen rights activist Advocate Abha Singh told midday ldquoItrsquos a good initiative as such offences are a product of patriarchy When boys are not taught at home to respect women they end up committing such crimes However I doubt whether it will change the mindset of hardened criminals For them we need the lawrsquos iron hand and higher conviction rate in cases of crime against womenrdquoDr Sujay Kantawala lawyer Bombay HC and Abha Singh advocate activistAnother activist Anshu Khanna said that the intensity of correctional interventions must be matched to the level of risk posed by the offender ldquoTreatment as well as supervision should be longer in duration applied more frequently and include more contact hours as assessed risk to reoffend increases Counselling the accused is a good initiative but will depend on casetocase basis and will have to be assessed to reform people and have a better societyldquoThe accused should be given a chance to improve If the effect of counselling is good then the increasing crime rate against women will come downrdquo she addedVishwas Nangre Patil joint CP Law and OrderAdvocate Ghanshyam Mishra said ldquoThe purpose of taking legal action against the accused is that there should be fear of law in him So if someone understands and learns through counselling then he will not commit any crime againrdquoDr Sujay Kantawala a senior lawyer at Bombay High Court however said the Nirbhaya squads should solely work for women ldquoWe have to understand the intent in the formation of the Nirbhaya squadsit was only meant for protection of women I do not see the relevance and purpose for these squads to also counsel the accused Prevention of crime and a victimcentric justice system are the need of the hour Our highest priority should be the safety and security of women citizensrdquo he told middayA police officer told midday ldquoA few days ago a boy was caught teasing a girl at Carter Road and was brought to the Saksham centre and counselledrdquo25 cases at 4 unitsThe city currently has four active Saksham centresone each in east west north central regions and they collectively have 25 cases since opening on November 2 The south region unit has not started yetGudipati a forensic psychologist and the head of the Saksham East Region told midday that not only the survivors their families are also counselled at the Saksham centres ldquoWhile counselling girls sometimes we find the family members are taunting them causing them mental distress and depression In such cases we also counsel the parentsldquoEach survivor is counselled once a week for two hours The counselling lasts for two to three monthsrdquo he addedThe squads comprising women officers were formed in September following the brutal rape and murder of a woman in Sakinaka which bore some similarity to the 2012 lsquoNirbhayarsquo gang rape in DelhiSpeaking about the cases they get an officer from a squad said ldquoRecently a case under the POCSO Act was registered at Vikhroli police station A 16yearold girl had eloped with her lover married him and they were living together As the girl was a minor her father lodged a complaint and the girl was rescued and sent back to her family while the lover was arrestedrdquoldquoShe was referred to the Sakshamrsquos office where a psychologist is counselling her During one of the sessions the psychologist learnt that the girl thought her parents were villainsrdquo he added The Saksham unit has also counselled her parentsA 16yearold girl in Shivaji Nagar was counselled after her parents brought her to a Saksham centre fearing she would run away with her boyfriend The counsellor learnt that her family was also taunting her so they were also given advice25No of cases referred to Saksham centresNov 2Day the Saksham centres started in the city