16 police stations in Odisha declared child-friendly | All you need to know

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik also announced a Sampark Help Desk to address the issues of gender violence by providing psychosocial support to the victim of sexual violence who face tremendous trauma post the incident.

Updated on: Nov 2, 2022, 07:19:49 IST

By HT News Desk

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Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday declared 16 child-friendly police stations and said 18 more such police stations will start functioning soon in the state. Patnaik also announced a Sampark Help Desk to address the issues of gender violence by providing psychosocial support to the victim of sexual violence who face tremendous trauma post the incident.

Child-friendly police station in Odisha.

The child-friendly facilities have been set up at the Crime Against Women and Child Wings (CAW & CW) in Bhubaneswar and Jagatsinghpur, Padmapur in Bargarh, Jajpur Road, Jharsuguda, Nayagarh, Aska, Soro, Bhawanipatna Sadar, Rairangpur, Deogarh, Rourkela sector 19, Dhenkanal town, Keonjhar town, Nalco in Angul and Binika police stations of the state.

Here's all you need to know about child-friendly police stations:

Child-friendly police stations in the state have been developed with a view to providing a child-friendly atmosphere, according to IPS ADG CAW&CW Rekha Lohani.

Such police stations have child-friendly amenities and ambience with interiors painted to attract the children.

Child-friendly police stations are also equipped with soft toys, a library having animated storybooks, swings for children, washrooms, a separate breastfeeding corner for lactating mothers, and recreation means like TV.

The main objective is to make minors more comfortable while lodging complaints with police without fear, Lohani said, adding that such measures are aimed at easing the fear and mental pressure of children visiting the police stations, seeking justice.

While one child-friendly unit has been opened at the crime against women and children wing (CAW&CW) police station in the capital city, 15 other districts have one such facility each.

The Sampark Help Desk, initiated with technical collaboration from Unicef, will help victims connect to various support agencies in the district like DCPU, DSWO, CWC, Childline, One Stop Centres, and district mental health professionals, among others.

The initiative will inform them of their rights and entitlements in their journey to secure justice, according to Lohani.

(With ANI inputs)

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