Intervention for psycho-social care for women facing violence soon, says Smriti Irani

THE MINISTRY of Women and Child Development (WCD) will soon introduce an intervention for “comprehensive psycho-social care for women facing violence” in collaboration with NIMHANS Bangalore, WCD Minister Smriti Irani announced on Tuesday.

The intervention will ensure certification by training of staff at one stop centres who can offer first-line psychosocial support to women and referrals to mental health services when required, “with adequate pathways to physical and mental health care’’, especially in cases of sexual abuse and domestic violence, Irani said.

Dr Shekhar Sheshadri, professor Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NIMHANS, said 42,000 personnel under 316 training programmes in 28 states have been covered by Samvad so far. This includes providing master training programmes to Childline workers.

Irani said her ministry will now be expanding the scheme to cover all 112 aspirational districts, which are some of the most vulnerable districts in the country.