HYDERABAD: Divya Devarajan, a 2010-batch IAS officer, and now the Commissioner of State Women and Child Department, is focused on preventing crime first.
Her next step is to ensure an increase in reporting of crimes followed by measures to solve them thereby ensuring that the victim gets justice and support.
The 37-year-old officer, who has made her mark with her administrative acumen, talks to Express about better SOPs for attending to victims and several other welfare schemes, especially for the ethnic tribal community.
“Women activists already on the ground are more sensitive to local issues. This is why, in many districts, we are working with women activists like Kondaveeti Satyavathi and Jhansi,” she says.
The former District Collector of Adilabad has a village named after her.
The citizens of ‘Divyaguda’ see this rechristening as a form of gratitude since Devarajan changed many lives for the better. She believes that the same SOPs cannot be applied to victims of different forms of violence which could either be physical or physiological.
“We have collaborated with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to train officials for specific SOPs.”
Talking about the increase in domestic violence cases after the lockdown, Devarajan adds, “We want to train people for the ‘Bell Bajao Movement’. We have more than 64,000 Anganwadi workers who are empowering other women to curb crime.
“In case a woman is being subjected to domestic violence, another woman starts ringing the doorbell of the house. That might discourage the perpetrator to stop the violence.”
The official who has worked with tribal communities in Devarakonda and Adilabad, says, “One of the main issues in tribal areas is trafficking. We are planning to have district-wise vulnerability mapping to chalk out specific plans.”