Addressing Violence Against Women in Madhya Pradesh, India: The Urgent Action and Just Relief Program

Studying the impact of Urgent Action and Just Relief (URJA) on improving women’s security in Madhya Pradesh, India. Studies show that police mistreatment in marginalized and resource poor communities – particularly in the gender violence context, where female victims are often blamed or challenged, leads to mistrust of police. Hierarchical police structure makes it difficult to introduce new practices unless senior officials initiate new interventions and are involved in the implementation. Police training is especially challenging in low-income societies, where funding tends to be directed to more visible areas, such as improved police infrastructure and more officers on the streets. URJA is a policy intervention that aims to increase access to women’s police stations through the creation of helpdesks, establishing standard operating procedures and training to guide officers on cases involving women and hiring additional female police officers. Reach Researchers aim to discover the impact of the standard operating procedures and trainings under the URJA Program on gender sensitive policing in Madhya Pradesh.