Bengal govt launches ‘Rattirer Sathi’
The Bengal government on August 17 launched a multi-departmental flagship programme to ensure welfare of women working night shifts called ‘Rattirer Sathi’ (Helpers of the Night). The name specifically refers to female volunteers who will be present during night shifts to provide support and ensure safety.
The Chief Advisor to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Alapan Bandyopadhyay, announced the measures.
The programme aims to improve working conditions and security in government hospitals, medical colleges, hostels and other night-time workplaces.
The guidelines of Rattirer Sathi include the following:
- Designated facilities: Separate, clearly marked restrooms and toilets for women working night shifts.
- Nighttime assistance: ‘Rattirer Sathi’, or female volunteers, during night shifts to provide support and ensure safety
- CCTV coverage: Safe zones for women, to be monitored by CCTV, to ensure continuous surveillance
- Mobile application: Mobile app with an alarm feature will be developed; all women working night shifts must download this app, which will be connected to local police stations and control rooms for quick emergency alerts
- Identification tags: All employees and security personnel must wear identification tags; police will be deployed to assist with security in hospitals.
- Work hours regulation: No staff, including doctors and workers, should work more than 12 hours at a stretch, and whenever possible, women should be exempted from night shifts
- Emergency helplines: Helplines 100 and 112 must be extensively used during emergencies
- Security and testing: Security checks and breathalyser tests will be conducted at medical college, district and super-speciality hospitals
- Visakha Committees: All organisations urged to establish Visakha Committees to address sexual harassment at workplaces, if not already in place
- Sensitisation programme: Programme to sensitise all government and private organisations on women’s safety to be implemented across districts
- Pair work scheduling: Organisations encouraged to create work schedules that ensure women work in pairs or teams to enhance safety and accountability during night hours
- Night patrols: Police to conduct night patrols in medical colleges and hospitals, and women’s hostels
- Security guards: Police to post security guards in all hospitals and medical colleges
- Drinking water: Adequate drinking water on all floors of hospitals
Though the measures have been generally welcomed, the guideline calling for minimising night shifts for women has drawn sharp criticism. Critics are saying that this is based on the same regressive attitude towards women that the guidelines are meant to fight.
