VIJAYAWADA: A look at the use of
women safety mobile applications
and
digital services
launched by the state, such as
Disha app
,
Cyber Mithra
and more recently, the Police Seva app that enables women to seek police help during distress shows the positive response the initiatives have generated. For example,
the Disha SOS application
launched earlier this year has seen over 758 distress calls, which have translated into 512 FIRs.
The Cyber Mithra services was started to address cybercrimes against women and children. Two toll-free helplines—112 and 181—along with a dedicated WhatsApp number (9121211100) and a Facebook page allows victims to lodge complaints online.
Between July 2019 and September, Cyber Mithra services catered to 1,850 petitions. Altogether, 309 FIRs were lodged.
Police also pointed out that 1.1 million women have downloaded the Disha SOS Application in a short span of time. “We received complaints from 568 people and registered 117 FIRs and acted on them,” a senior police official told TOI. The app has a single touch SOS button that alerts the
police control room
in case of distress and ensures speedy response.
Notably, the state government will also set up an exclusive Disha control room to handle calls from women in distress. The control room will be able to track the nearest emergency response vehicle and automatically dispatch it to the location of the victim.
However, practical issues with the applications remain. Police admit that they are at the receiving end of prank calls and false alerts on a day-to-day basis, which often results in very few alerts translating into FIRs. While there has been a spike in women harassment cases due to the accessibility of the application, police clarified that it cannot be mistaken for an increase in the crime rate.
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