Social Workers Special Cell Women Police Station calls on DDC Chairperson

Udhampur  : A deputation led by Afia Nazir and Azra Praveen, Social Workers working at Special Cell Women Police Station, Saturday met with Chairperson District Development Council, Udhampur Lal Chand in his Office Chamber.
They briefed him about the Special Cell for Women in Jammu & Kashmir and elaborated that these are being piloted under the Violence Free Home.
They informed that it is a Women Rights project supported by the National Commission for Women, GoI and implemented by Tata Institute of Social Sciences in collaboration with Social Welfare Department/ Women & Child Development Department and Home Department (Police).
Saying that it is based on Special Cell for Women and Children approach, they further elaborated that the aim of this project was to strengthened Police system response to gender based violence in both public and private life, by empowering women to access all types of support and justice.
A total of 10 Special Cells are located in J&K, 07 in Kashmir Division viz Srinagar, Budgam, Kulgam, Anantnag, Ganderbal, Baramulla and Kupwara and 3 in Jammu Division viz Jammu, Udhampur and Rajouri.
In Udhampur District, the Special Cell is functional from Women Police Station and Afia Nazir and Azra Praveen are working as Social Workers at Special Cell.
Further, elaborating about their work, they briefed that the primary job of social worker in Special Cell for Women was Individual and group interventions to end violence against women – including Social casework processes, empowerment & behavioral change facilitation, referrals and pre-& during litigation support to women & child survivors of violence and their families, and engaging with men (respondents/perpetrators of violence, male family members) and with NGO & Governmental Departmental representatives in violated women & children’s best interests (i.e. facilitating multi-agency coordinated response), Planning, awareness-building and capacity-building in compliance with programmatic, strategic & financial management for the ‘Violence Free Home – A Woman’s Right’ (Special Cells for Women) programme across the allotted district in which the Special Cell is functional, Networking & advocacy on issues of violence against women & children, and intervention in situations of violence as experienced and reported by women & children, with NGOs & Governmental Departments, at district & sub- district levels, Writing & compiling data and reports regularly for purposes of programme documentation, official record etc.