181 receives 1357 calls, registers 82 cases

Jeijei Newme

IMPHAL | Aug 31

Tollfree ‘181’ women helpline number, which was launched on June 23 by social welfare minister Nemcha Kipgen has received 1357 calls and the total cases taken up is 82, G. Ravi Sharma, helpline manager and Deepavalli Khaidem, senior call responder told Imphal Free Press.

Deepavalli reported that out of the registered cases, domestic violence case is the highest followed by other cases like attempt to rape, physical torture, extra-marital affairs and missing report. “We have also received many prank calls,” she added.

The helpline received the most calls from Thoubal, Imphal East and West, Churachandpur, Bishunpur and Senapati, said Deepavalli.

The 24/7 telecom service to women is closely related with the police, Manipur State Commission for Women, hospitals, and legal aid clinics and most of the time cases are referred to these three agencies.

Ravi maintained that the privacy of the callers are respected and it never discloses the details to anyone except for the transferred agencies/channels.

The helpline manager explained that there are four homes that distressed women are kept after their complaints are filed at the helpline. One stop centre is one that gives immediate relief/solution be it medical, legal, police or counselling. It also provides free fooding and lodging. There is only one ‘one stop centre’ currently at Thoubal and the complainant can stay there for five days maximum.

If the victims prefer to prolong the stay under the facility of 181, they will be transferred to Swadhar home which provides counselling, legal aids and other facilities even skill development programmes. For general problems like domestic violence, bigamy, family differences victims are mainly acomodated there. So far five women were sheltered in Swadhar home and their cases are still ongoing.

Ujjwala home is another home where serious violence cases are handled like trafficked women, commercial sex workers and so on. In children home, victims are under 18 years.

Besides one stop centre, all the other homes are available in all districts, Ravi added.

The helpline has eight call responders and they are trained every week to sensitise oneself build confidence and to cover every aspect of problems as possible. Ravi said that “we are on the plan to get to other hill districts which are not aware of this number but we have to be trained first.”

Ravi urged the general public not to misuse this number by giving missed calls and disturbing the staffs and also keeping the line busy.