State to focus on reducing crime against women, children

Kohima, Aug. 30 (PTI): The Nagaland government has planned to reduce crimes against women and children, decrease the number of murders, and curb cases of corruption by 2030 by strengthening the machinery of law enforcement, participation of women in dispensing justice and extending ‘Police Ke Pathshala’ in higher secondary levels, according to a vision document.

‘Police Ke Pathshala’ is an outreach programme to connect the police and student community of the north-eastern state.

Nagaland SDG Vision 2030 – Leaving no one behind unveiled by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio recently outlined the short, medium, and long-term strategies to achieve 17 sustainable development goals (SDG), including peace, justice, and strong institutions.

Greater participation by women would help create a positive impact by making the police and legal system more accessible to women, it said.

Recruiting more women besides increasing the number of police stations run by them would help in increasing their participation in the institutional system, the document said.

To achieve the state level target of ending all forms of violence against children and reducing violence at large, the state will continue to invest in making the police force more robust, it said.

The vision statement pointed out that of the total 1,802 cases registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and local and special laws in the state in 2019, 86 cases (about 4.7 per cent) pertained to crime against women.

Of the total number of cases in 2019, 50 were related to crime against children, and 23 were murder cases.

The state government is aiming at reducing the proportion of crime against women to the total number of crimes to 2 per cent by 2030, the document said.

It also seeks to bring down the proportion of crime against children to 0.16 per cent per 1,00,000 population and reduce the number of murder cases and corruption significantly by 2030.

On the challenges faced by the government, the document pointed out that courts are burdened with long-pending cases that delay justice.

Citing lack of adequate community participation as another challenge, it said local communities can play a significant role in policing to encourage ecentralisation, and giving greater power to the common man.

The vision document proposed that fast-track courts and e-courts must be encouraged to enable speedy delivery of justice.

Along with these measures, the Lok Adalat system must be further strengthened and made more efficient and paralegal volunteers (PLVs) must be well-equipped to improve justice delivery, it said.

The vision document maintained that the government would focus on ensuring equal access to justice for all.