SHE cops to study eve-teasers’ psyche

The teams have adopted a scientific method to reform the offenders

who harass women in many ways

Hyderabad: In their efforts to study the root cause of the menace of eve-teasing, Cyberabad SHE Teams introduced a Q&A method to understand the psyche of an eve-teaser. The questionnaire has various questions ranging from a person’s family background to the factors which are contributing to his impulse to commit a crime against women.

The feedback forms are handed over to a group of trained professional counselors who engage the accused in a conservation to make them realise that what they are doing is not acceptable and to educate them about the repercussions of having a criminal record.

The main purpose is to address all factors that give rise to criminality which exists in the society and to get rid of the ingredients that breed crime, by involving the family of offenders. This gives them an opportunity to realise the stigma and consequences.

SHE Teams conduct counselling every Saturday in CAW (Crime against women) Cell located in CP Cyberabad Office, Gachibowli. Offenders caught by the teams in the previous week are called along with their families.

Counselling is closely monitored by She Teams in-charge, DCP, Malkajigiri, Rama Rajeshwari. After establishing a rapport with the offenders, the counselors listen to the crime profile as told by the DCP and the team.

Videos depicting the crimes are shown too. Subsequently, EAR (Examine, Accept, Reject thought) is explained to them and an attempt is made to understand their perception on the difference between pleasure and happiness. Case studies are given to them regarding women victims.

While counselling the offenders, SHE Teams show them short films on the victims of violence and the trauma they undergo. An attempt is made to understand the prime goals of offenders’ lives and they are asked to give specific reasons on what triggers them to resort to public harassment of women.

These counselling sessions are yielding good results, wherein most of the offenders feel guilty of their acts and promise the cops that they will not repeat the crimes ever, according to Rama Rajeshwari. Since the families are also involved, there is a societal pressure on the offenders to change their ways as they are exposed.

On the other hand, number of cases caught by and reported to SHE Teams has gone up. Ever since the Cyberabad Control Room (Dial 100) was integrated to SHE Teams, the frequency of getting a distress call from women callers has gone up. The nature of such incidents varies from obscene behavior over phone, stalking, teasing, filming girls without their knowledge etc.

Cyberabad WhatsApp Citizen-Connect program has a separate group for SHE Teams which receives 3-4 cases everyday on an average. As the responses given by SHE Teams are prompt, this group also started receiving complaints on marital disputes, neighborhood issues, Cyber bullying etc.

A Facebook page is also used for receiving online complaints and to create awareness through public campaigns. Even senior citizens had started sending mails to SHE Teams for protection, an official release said.