The redesigned room which was inaugurated last weekend not only provides the much needed privacy to victims of sex-related crimes but also has the distinction of being child friendly.

The room is painted in bright colors and cartoon characters, with posters proclaiming the rights of women and children displayed prominently.

It will be manned by an all-female staff of police officers.

Gido, one of the 10 awardees for this year’s Country’s Outstanding Police in Service (COPS) and the first and only female station commander of the QCPD, is well aware of the deplorable and humiliating experience sex crime victims are subjected to in the course of investigation.

She was a former head of the Women and Children Concern Desk of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

"Majority of the victims of sexual abuse don’t file complaints against their perpetrators for fear of suffering the indignity of being investigated in the open and amid an inquisitive and sometimes malicious crowd,’’ Gido said.

Gido, a lawyer by profession, stressed that "the right to privacy is a basic right and must always be respected.’’

The child-friendly concept of the WCCD is a by-product of a seminar she attended in the Netherlands.

"Priority should be placed in putting a molested child at ease,’’ Gido said.

With its completion, she hoped that victims of rape and other forms of sexual abuses would now have the courage to come forward and file complaints.

"Victims are now assured of proper investigation away from an intrusive and prying crowd and with their privacy and dignity intact,’’ Gido said. (PNA)