New Delhi: Most women in the capital do not report incidents of harassment as "police behave irresponsibly" and do not understand their problem, said Delhi Health and Family Welfare Minister Kiran Walia Saturday.
"Women are afraid to go to the police as they are afraid of the questions asked by the police which make them uncomfortable. The police have been irresponsible in handling such issues," Walia said here at a press conference organised at Indian Women's Press Corps.
"The police today has failed to understand its duty and has acted in an irresponsible manner when it comes to the issues related to women," she added.
Praising the women who come forward to report cases of harassment, the minister said: "The percentage of capital's women who report their cases in police stations has increased but it is still very low."
"Making a law doesn't help. The implementation of the law is more important. The conviction rate of perpetrators is very poor," Walia said.
"We have seen many cases, mostly the case of women trafficking, where the police is aware of the racket, they know where the crime is taking place but due to the lack of interest they do not fulfil their duty of protecting the poor girls," she added.
She appealed to the victims "you should be active in complaining and should not fear anyone".
IANS
First Published: Sunday, July 22, 2012, 00:21