A delegation led by Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality Stephaine Copus Campbell visited the ‘181’ Women helpline office operated by the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) and interacted with the panel chief Swati Maliwal over issues concerning women in India and Australia.

 The two officials discussed setting up exchange programmes to strengthen similar institutions in both countries, said a DCW statement.  The 181 is a 24X7 hotline operated by the DCW for women in distress. The caller is counselled, and if need be, her grievance is marked to authorities such as Delhi Police, hospitals, and shelter homes for redressal, said the statement.

 In most cases, a team of counsellors is dispatched to meet the distressed women to assist them.   The Commission has received over 20 lakh calls on the helpline since it was handed over to it in February 2016.

 Campbell and her team visited the helpline on Thursday and its members witnessed live counselling by the callers on the helpline. They also interacted with several field counsellors who have undertaken rescue operations.

 During the visit, Campbell and Maliwal discussed issues concerning women in India and Australia and shared best practices being followed in both countries.  “Ms Stephanie Campbell is a very passionate person deeply interested in the issues concerning women and girls across the globe. She was very inquisitive and interacted at length with the entire team,” Maliwal said.

 She said the Australian official was very appreciative of the functioning of the Commission and she was looking forward to engaging further with the Australian Embassy.