Creating a Safe Space for Women: International Perspectives on Women-Only Police Stations

• In Event: Criminal Justice System's Response to Violence Against Children, Women, and Intimate Partners

Abstract

During the last thirty years a number of police stations have been established throughout India, with the express aim of providing a safe space for women victims to report crimes. These all-women police stations (AWPS) are staffed by women, for women, and were initially promoted by women in government. This paper will discuss the findings of an extensive recent research study evaluating the impact of AWPS policies in India. In addition, the paper will critically evaluate the potential need for, and the desirability of, the development of similar initiatives in countries outside India, including the UK and the US. Research has highlighted the invisibility and under-reporting of many crimes against women, combined with the widespread inadequacy of existing policing policies for women victims. Engagement with traditional policing methods may pose particular challenges for women from minority ethnic groups, whose socio-cultural backgrounds and vulnerabilities may render many victims reluctant to report experiences of victimisation and abuse. The paper will conclude with suggestions for the development of future policies and practices which will challenge the under-reporting of many forms of women's victimisation and assess whether all women police stations is the way forward to create a safe space for women victims.

Authors

• Beulah Shekhar, Manonmanian Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, India

• Helen Codd, University of Central Lancashire, UCLAN