The ‘181’ helpline that caters to women in distress has been attracting not just girls or women, but also men from across the Capital.
The helpline has received 2.65 lakh calls since its inception. The service was initiated on December 31, 2012. The sheer volume of calls made on this helpline indicates that cases of sexual harassment and domestic violence have been on the rise in Delhi.
The first-ever helpline from a Chief Minister’s Office of any State was started by the Delhi Government after a lot of hue and cry was made regarding the safety of women in Delhi after the horrendous December 16 gang-rape and murder of a 23-year-old paramedical student.
The motive behind starting the helpline was to assure women of the Capital that there was a round-the-clock helpline to attend to their complaints immediately and also take corrective and effective actions.
“Men callers either report cases of their relatives or of issues they have with women in their family or acquaintances,” said Khadijah Farooqui, a senior consultant at the helpline. After seven months of functioning, maximum complaints received were that of domestic violence, obscene calls, stalking and sexual abuse.
“Our work is not over by just taking a complaint. We believe in rehabilitating the victim through various schemes as well. We try to revive the victim out of the situation and help them lead a peaceful life. The major obstacle the victims face is to get an FIR registered and we help them do it,” she added.
Till June, as many as 4,441 cases of domestic violence, 6,071 of obscene calls, 1,371 of stalking and 1,328 of sexual abuse have been reported.
The 24-hour helpline follows every complaint with immediate intervention.
The cases are sent to various service providers of the helpline, such as the Delhi Police, Delhi Mahila Aayog, Delhi legal Services Authority, major Government hospitals, labour department, etc.
Initially, people used to call up just to check if the helpline is working. “It is a major challenge to maintain the helpline. We are planning a tie-up with the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) to improve the software that we are currently working on. Many States have consulted us about the 181 helpline for inputs on setting up and functioning of the helpline. Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh to name a few,” said Kulnand Joshi, incharge of the helpline.
“Since the complaints are forwarded by the Chief Minister’s Office, hence, the problem is addressed effectively. There have been cases where the police did not reach a specific location and proactive role of the helpline made the PCR and the ambulance reach in just three minutes," said Farooqui.
While explaining the objective for initiating such a service, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Prof Kiran Walia said the gap between the people and various authorities is reducing because of this helpline.
"The response is forthcoming. Each caller is heard in detail. Immediate intervention is sought for victims if they are critical. Sending the victims to hospitals, providing them facility and since it comes from the Chief Minister's office there is a better response. The crux of the issue is understood," she said.
The Minister further said that meetings of officials involved in the process are held quarterly.
"The time-gap is less because of good communication between authorities. The precious time for the state of the victims is not lost. Initially, calls came from london as well and people used to even call for civic problems. Those were the teething days of the helpline. Many also assumed that the Chief Minister would pick up the phone herself," Walia said.
The helpline works in three shifts. It is a 16 member-team of callers and floor supervisors.
The security of the employees is also taken care of by providing them transport and door-drop service.