The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Helpline to be set up for domestic violence victims

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 30, 2006
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Helpline to be set up for domestic violence victims

Special Correspondent

It can be accessed from different parts of the country

HYDERABAD: The Union Women and Child Development Ministry will shortly set up a toll-free helpline, which could be accessed from different parts of the country to provide protection to women subjected to domestic violence.

Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Choudary told a press conference here on Sunday that the helpline would become functional once the hardware was ready. It would be manned by NGOs. The Ministry had already held discussions with a Mumbai-based organisation. It was also implementing a rehabilitation package for victims of domestic violence.

Describing `Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act', which came into effect on October 26, as a "landmark, far-reaching and interactive Act", she said it would go a long way in establishing a good civil society. Referring to the first case booked under the new law in Tamil Nadu, she expected a "high percentage" of reporting across the country in the next few days.

Protection officers

With the Act providing for appointment of protection officers and NGOs to render assistance, Ms. Choudary said women from NGOs would be trained as protection officers. The Ministry would also conduct workshops in panchayats and municipalities to ensure effective implementation of the Act. She described as "shameful" the country's ranking "second-worst" in domestic violence.

The Minister urged State Governments to put in place "quick response systems" and sensitise police officers to provisions of the Act.

On Women's Reservation Bill, she hoped that a consensus would be reached and that it would be tabled in the winter session of Parliament.

Telangana issue

Ms. Chowdhury said the Congress was committed to the cause of Telangana and declared `Telangana will come when people want it".

She parried questions on `divergent' views expressed by APCC president K.Keshava Rao and Sports Minister M. Satyanarayana Rao, saying,

"They were emphasising the same point differently." She said that Congress president Sonia Gandhi always stood by democratic process and, "When Telangana is ready to happen it will happen."

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