CUTTACK: Worried over the increasing incidents of sexual assault against minor girls and child abuse, Odisha Police on Wednesday decided to launch a State-wide awareness campaign to curb the menace.
The 15-day campaign, slated to begin from May 28, will create mass awareness on roles and responsibilities of family members and members of the community to prevent such crimes, said DGP Dr RP Sharma while briefing mediapersons here at the Police Headquarters on Wednesday.
An analysis of sexual assault against minor girls has revealed that in more than 90 per cent cases, the offenders are either relatives or acquaintances or belong to same local community, said Dr Sharma. “As prevention of such crime becomes difficult for police and the role of family members is of paramount importance, the campaign aims to educate them,” the DGP said. All officials, NGOs and community-based organisations shall be involved in the campaign.
For the campaign, 15 chariots would be flagged off from different parts of the State on May 28. Each chariot will cover two districts in 15 days and after the end of the campaign they will converge at Bhubaneswar for a valedictory function on June 12, Dr Sharma informed.
The chariots have been named ‘Paree’ have been themed ‘Paree Pain Kathatiea’ (A word for the little angel),” Sharma said. The chariots will play audio-visual on the LCD screens in the vans. Besides that leaflets and other printed materials shall be distributed followed by community interaction, the DGP said.
The chariots shall be received at different locations by local police, district administration and other social stake holders with community participation during the campaign which will be organised in technical collaboration with UNICEF.IG of Police Asheet Kumar Panigrahi shall be the State Nodal Officer and he shall coordinate and monitor the State-wide campaign, the DGP informed.