State to get 5 more centres to aid women by year-end

CHENNAI: In an effort to reach out to more women in need of protection, the state will by this year-end set up five one-stop centres, providing them temporary shelter, counselling, legal and medical aid.
The first such facility was opened in Tambaram in January 2017. Until April this year, the centre helped 84 women, 34 of who were victims of domestic abuse. While most of the women seeking help were in the 18-35 years age group, the facility, managed by five members including a counsellor and a helper, also helped the state thwart four child marriages and provided shelter for a child.



The Centre recently sanctioned Rs 80.64 lakh to set up five additional centres in Kancheepuram, Trichy, Salem, Madurai and Coimbatore. “We have also requested the Centre for funds to set up centres in the remaining 26 districts,” said an official.

While close to 80% of the victims were reunited with their families, a few were sent to homes run by NGOs where they receive vocational training.

Tajune Basha, who worked as an administrator at the facility for three months, said police intervention was sought in at least 15 cases. In one such instance, a teenager approached the team for help after she was physically and sexually abused by a man much older than her, under the guise of giving her a job. “We immediately went to the police and a case was registered,” she said.

Nearly half the women approached the centre directly, while the others were referred by police, NGOs or the district social welfare officer. Officials in the department are also in talks to integrate 181 – the national women’s emergency helpline in the state— with AMMA call centre. “Once the helpline is launched, rescue and rehabilitation will be easier,” an official said.

Prasanna Gethu, co-founder of International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care, said the state should start looking beyond just rehabilitating these women.

“The numbers need to be analysed – Where are they coming from? What is their age group? Interventions should be done at the community-level,” she said. When the organisation started in 2000 to help victims of domestic abuse, within the first year they received 98. “People reaching out is a huge deal. We need to form a network and find out who they are,” she said. From January to May this year, they received 117 new cases of intimate partner violence.