Meghalaya witnesses huge jump in crimes against women and children, 8,805 criminals arrested

Meghalaya Home Minister, Lakmen Rymbui informed that in the last five years almost 8,805 criminals has been arrested involving in various crimes including those related to women and children. 

Home Minister was replying to a short duration discussion on the prevailing safety and security of the people in the state raised by Opposition chief whip and Umroi legislator George B Lyngdoh in the Assembly.

Rymbui stated that the crimes against Women and Children is one of the major concerns and the matter requires attention. He informed that since 2018, a total of 1267 cases of crimes against women have been registered in the state and a total of 408 cases of crimes against children have also been registered.

A total of 1542 cases were registered under the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) since 2018. On an average, more than 300 cases have been registered from the year 2018 to 2021, he said. 

“These cases of crimes against women and children are indeed a deep concern for all of us, as the vulnerable sections of the society are being targeted by criminals from time to time.

Even though these cases of crime against women and children have been witnessing an upward trend, but the silver lining is that, criminals involved in such cases have also been arrested and prosecuted under the relevant provisions of law,” said the Home Minister. 

The Home Minister informed that a total number of 1542 cases has been registered falling under the the Prevention of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO). Since 2018 to 2021, more than 300 cases have been registered.

“These cases of crime against women and children are indeed a deep concern for all, as the vulnerable sections of the society are being targeted by criminals from time to time,” stated Rymbui.

He further stated that criminals involved in such cases have been arrested and prosecuted under relevant provisions of the law. For crimes against women and children, 1260 accused have been arrested in the past 5 years, and under the POCSO Act, a total of 1357 criminals have been arrested since 2018.

In addition to these, a total of 103 accused persons have been convicted in the same period.

“There is need to speed awareness in society so that such crimes especially against children are prevented,” he added.

To ensure the prevention of crimes against women, and their rehabilitation, One Stop Crisis Centres that deal with providing a range of services for violence-affected women, including police facilitation, legal counselling, psycho-social counselling, medical aid, and temporary shelter, have been set up in all the 11 districts of the State.

The State government has come up with different mechanisms to retaliate crimes against women and children, informed the Home Minister. The Women Help Desk - one can report any crimes related to Women and Children across the state in various police stations. 

Women Police Stations has been setup in 11 districts in the state. 112 Emergency Number- National Emergency Response System (NERS). Meg-Cop-Watch App, an app for woman safety, this app is available in 3 languages — English, Hindi and Khasi. It sends real-time information to the officer-in-charge of a police station regarding the threat perceived by an individual and the current location. 

In addition to the Women Police Stations which have been set up in the 11 districts, a Crime Scene Unit (CSU) comprising experts from the state Forensic Science laboratory (FSL) and the Fingerprint Bureau (FPB), has also been constituted to assist the investigating officer, especially in cases relating to crime against women and children.

Another project which has been launched in the state is the Dial 112-which deals with distress calls and dispatching the information received to the nearest police station. Emergency calls received by this response unit include fire calls, information regarding road accidents, and crime incidences. 

“An app known as Meg-Cop-Watch has also been launched in East Khasi Hills District.,” informed Rymbui.