One-stop centres for women in distress will become functional in all districts this month.
The centres, funded by the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development, are aimed at providing an an integrated range of services, including medical aid, police assistance, legal aid, psycho-social counselling, and temporary support services, to women affected by violence or any kind of abuse, in private and public spaces.
Not operational
Fourteen one-stop centres have been sanctioned by the Union government for the State. However, these are not operational in all the districts.
The first one-stop centre was set up in Thiruvananthapuram, at the Women and Child Development Department institutional complex at Poojappura.
Four centres
Four centres were started in the second phase of the project in Thrissur, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kannur districts.
In the fifth phase, ₹1 lakh was allocated to nine districts for starting temporary operations of the one-stop centres. Accordingly, the centres have begun functioning in Kozhikode, Alappuzha, and Pathanamthitta districts from temporary arrangements.
A temporary one-stop centre started operations in Kollam Tuesday last while that in Kottayam was yet to start owing to the model code of conduct in force in connection with the election there.
In Ernakulam, the one-stop centre will temporarily start functioning from the State Women and Child Department’s building at Kakkanad where an observation home functions.
In Palakkad, staff selection will be held this month to get the temporary operations under way.
In Kasaragod, land has reportedly been identified at Chengala panchayat for the one-stop centre while in Idukki, the centre is expected to become operational by the end of the month.
Land identified
Meanwhile, land has been identified for constructing building for the one-stop centres in all districts.
The State government has also identified space for starting a second one-stop centre in all districts following the Union government’s directions, though funds are yet to be sanctioned.
After the staff selection procedures are completed, the government plans to provide the staff in-service training on how to interact with the women reaching the one-stop centres based on the government’s guidelines.
