One-Stop Crisis Centres for Rape and Sexual Assault survivors will bring the change.

One-Stop Crisis Centres for Rape and Sexual Assault survivors will bring the change.

The second season of Satyamev Jayate has started and with it the focus is back again on the victims of rape who have to face the humiliating and harsh circumstances in their efforts to get the justice. The first episode has suggested setting up of one stop crisis centres for survivors of rape and sexual assault where they can be treated with dignity and will be given a safe and controlled environment to initiate their fight for justice.

What do you think? Can the setting of one stop crisis centres can initiate a change or will it be another failed attempt in the corrupt system? Will it be able to provide the support to the survivors?

Yes

• It can bring the social change and can result in the cultural shift. It will give rise to culture of action that will work as a base to replace cultures of ‘silence’ and ‘skepticism and blame’.

• It will bring the focus of government on the rape cases as the past has showed that neither rape nor its victims are top priorities in most mainstream organizations.

• There are many survivors who chose not to report to the police because of the humiliation and harassment they have to face in the process. Dedicated rape crisis centres see a broader range of survivors reporting the case to get the justice.

• Survivors of rape and sexual assault have different needs, wants and experiences which can be met by responsive services at the centre.

• It will follow a survivor-centred approach where women can talk about the incident without fear and can explore the options to seek justice.

• It can provide a vital link across the various agencies which support survivors and help them to come out of the trauma in different ways.

No

• The setting up of one stop crisis centres will require funding and again there exists a loophole where the funds can be used by the intermediaries for their own benefits.

• The shortage of funds will give a weak base to structure which suggests that the staff at the centre might not follow an honest approach to solve the problems of survivors.

• Rape crisis centres and the staff may lack power compared to the statutory services. It can limit the help that they can provide to the survivors.

• It is the corrupt system which has denied the justice to the victims of rape and there is not surety that the similar thing won’t be repeated at the one stop crisis centres.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that the survivors of rape and sexual assault needs special attention and reassurance so that they can have the courage to come out of the incident and can stand firm to fight for the justice. With one stop crisis centres they would be able to make informed choices but then all the things are possible only when the initiative is supported by the ample resources and have the guidance of people with strong character.