One-stop crisis centres soon in Kerala

“I have met Maneka Gandhi (union minister for women and child development) to speak about the crisis centres and she has promised funds,” social justice minister Dr M K Muneer said.

The one-stop crisis centres will be opened near general hospitals, district hospitals and taluk hospitals. The objective is to provide speedy relief for victims of sex abuse and trafficking.

“What happens now is that a victim is made to run from pillar to post seeking various types of assistance,” said advocate J Sandhya, a member of the State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.

“First they are taken to the police station, made to wait for a long time, then they are rushed to the hospital and from there back to the police station and then to the lawyer. Being taken around like this is very demeaning for the victim,” Ms Sandhya said.

The one-stop crisis centres will have all victim-related services under the same roof. The centre will have the services of a women sub-inspector, counselors, legal experts, and since it is near a government hospital, medical help will also be nearby.

The centre will also double up as resting place for the victims. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) already runs 21 crisis centres called Bhoomika centres for domestic violence victims within district hospital and taluk hospital premises in all districts.

The social justice department, nonetheless, is not keen on upgrading Bhoomika centres as it wants the proposed one-stop crisis centres exclusively for sexual abuse and trafficking victims. “Since domestic violence cases are larger in number, they could crowd out abuse victims and thereby render the centre unwieldy,” a top Social Justice official said.