The state of Telangana got its first 'child-friendly' police station at Medipally in Hyderabad, with the Rachakonda police formally inaugurating the premises on Thursday. The police station was designed and built in collaboration with NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi.
"The child-friendly police station was decorated with wall paintings, furnished with beds and water coolers in order to make children visiting the police stations, comfortable and feel relaxed. In addition to this, the presence of books, toys and games in these rooms will aid in making children less anxious," BBA said in a press release.
As part of the joint initiative, BBA will also organise a training session in order to raise awareness, sensitise and inform police personnel on the guidelines laid down by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The press release also quoted data from the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), which pointed out that the state had witnessed a 43 per cent increase in cases reported under POCSO from 2016 to 2017.
In a statement, BBA CEO Samir Mathur said, "We applaud this laudable initiative undertaken by the Telangana Police department. Child-friendly police stations play a vital role in ensuring that every child has proper and timely access to justice. These police stations promise a facilitating environment and also encourage higher reporting of crimes relating to children."
"We are pleased to partner with the Telangana government and hope that our strong alliance will be conducive in bringing justice to children in the state," he added.
Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat was the Chief Guest for the inauguration, which witnessed the participation of over 200 students from nearby schools, personnel of the police department, and members of the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Child Welfare Committee (CWC), District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and District Legal Service Authority (DLSA).
The city already has a child-friendly court, thanks to the Bharosa centre, an integrated support centre for women and children that was established by the city police in 2016. The Bharosa centre was set up shortly after the SHE Teams initiative, which was introduced in the state in 2014 with a motto to provide safety and security to women and to curb crimes against women.