Women helpline gets 262 calls in 3 months, max on domestic abuse

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 25

With 31 per cent calls related to domestic violence on the Haryana women helpline number (181), the crime tops the list of complaints, maximum being reported from Sirsa, followed by Ambala.

The helpline became functional on December 3 and had received 262 effective calls till March 12. Of these, 82 complaints were related to domestic violence, 31 (over 11 per cent) to misbehaviour or physical hurt and 11 (4 per cent) to dowry.

Besides, there were six complaints (over 2 per cent) each of rape, sexual assault, stalking and refusal of marriage. There were seven complaints related to extra-marital affair of husbands also.

The data was released during a “state-level advocacy and capacity-building programme” organised by the Women and Child Development Department in Chandigarh.

The helpline is accessible 24 hours a day on all seven days a week to any woman in distress. It facilitates resolution through referral to the appropriate agencies such as police, hospital, ambulance, legal consultants and protection officers.

It is located at women police station, Sector 5, Panchkula, where six employees — helpline manager, four call respondents and an IT consultant — manage calls from across the state.

The helpline has been set up under the scheme of universalisation of women helpline. Besides crisis management, it provides information on women-related government schemes.

The helpline provides counselling and stays with the woman caller till the problem is resolved. The staff also gathers feedback on a daily and weekly basis.

“We have been providing counselling and guidance to mothers-in-law and husbands on the instance of complainants. We have been using services of ‘One Stop Centres’ at the district level who provide shelter to women in distress for five days,” said helpline manager Preeti Phogat.

During the workshop, IGP (crime against women) Charu Bali deliberated upon changing the mindset and dealing each case with empathy, patience and tolerance.