181 Helpline along with Mahila Panchayat - fusion - WeRIndia

The 181 Women’s helpline which has been under the Delhi government has been shifted to the Delhi Commission for Women. Furthermore, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) came up with a plan to make a detailed expansion for the 181 Helpline.

DCW Chairperson, Swati Maliwal said that so far the 181 helpline only worked as a basic referral helpline. The 181 helpline did not have any grassroots presence, it just forwards the received complaints to the police. That was the only way to provide support for the victim.

This means that if a victim calls the 181 helpline and tells that the police is not registering an FIR, the helpline does not have any alternative but to tell her to continue dealing with police.

The Delhi Commission for Women are hoping to improve the situation and has made a plan to improve the grassroots presence of the 181 helpline. A decision has been made to integrate the 181 helpline with DCW’s Mahila Panchayat as well as Mobile Helpline Program.

Mahila Panchayat is a unique way for community participation in dispute solving. It helps with crisis intervention and legal aid at a community level and provides support to victims of marital disputes and violence against women.

The Mobile Helpline is a 24 hour service which helps women in distress. There will be a Helpline counsellor who counsels the people involved in the incident or if needed provides help in registering an FIR or get medical assistance for the woman. If the case requires, the victim is even rescued and provided with temporary shelter.

With the integration of Mahila Panchayat Program, an NGO in each Vidhan Sabha will be assigned with the Commission. There will be around 3-4 personnel working at the grassroots level to help with issues faced by women every day.

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