Soon, women in distress will not have to call different helplines to get police, medical, legal, psycho-social or rescue shelter assistance.
They can just dial the national women’s emergency helpline 181 — a facility expected to be launched within the week.
As of now, the 1091 helpline is functioning in the city, providing police assistance to women in distress. However, the round-the-clock toll-free 181 helpline — under the Department of Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme — will provide all types of assistance and information to women.
The helpline will function from the Amma Call Centre premises in Ambattur.
“The staff, who are social workers, can immediately handle the grievances of the callers. They have undergone training from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). The staff will work on a three-shift basis,” said an official from the Social Welfare Department.
Tie-up with OSC
Once a woman calls the helpline, the staff will refer her to the appropriate agency like police, hospital, ambulance services or the District Legal Services Authority. “We have also joined hands with one-stop centres (OSC), where victims of violence can stay and get necessary support services under one roof. We have also tied up with government hospitals close to the OSCs to provide medical support if needed,” added the official.
The helpline will also provide information about the law, existing schemes and government programmes related to women empowerment and protection.
There are plans to advertise the helpline through posters on Metro and suburban trains.