“Power Angels’ will now protect girls from eve teasing in Lucknow.
According to a new concept floated by the 1090 woman power line in the state capital, “Power Angels” will actually be school and college girls from all major schools and colleges who will be trained to help women and girls from eve-teasing and harassment.
Girls from Classes 9 to graduate level will be selected for the Power Angel programme and each class will send two representatives each. The selection will be made in a manner that almost every locality in the state capital gets one Power Angel.
“These girls will have to pass a written test comprising 50 questions that will assess their mental capabilities, general knowledge and alertness level. They will also face an interview after which two girls who get maximum marks in the test and interview will be enrolled as Power Angels,” said an official.
The selected Power Angels will then be give a two-day training by the personnel at the Women Power line and they will then be qualified to deal with minor crime against women in their respective areas.
“In the training, we will teach them how to grade the nature of complaints and then pass them on to the Women Power Line. Most women are hesitant to approach the power line and these Power Angels will remove their initial fears and act as a bridge to the Women Power Line and remove the fear of approaching a police station. The idea is basically to ensure that help is round the corner for girls,” the official explained.
The Power Angels will begin by tackling the problem of eve-teasing. in and around girls’ institutions in Lucknow.
The tenure of each Power Angel will be six months but those who put in a good performance can be given an extension. The Power Angels will remain dressed in normal clothes but they will be given a certificate of participation at the end of their tenure. Officials feel that the concept will not only help women in distress but will also instil confidence in those who enrol as Power Angels and they will be better equipped to face such situations.
Girls of reputed colleges in Lucknow, meanwhile, are excited about the concept.