Ending gender-based violence needs focus

Smriti Irani. File pic

Speaking at a zonal conference of states and different stakeholders from the western region in Mumbai, Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said 704 One Stop Centres (OSCs) are functioning in the country and in collaboration with women's helpline and 70 lakh women in distress have received support from governments - both the Centre and states combined.

Irani claimed that 300 more OSCs would be opened soon. These OSCs, opened under a scheme launched by the Women and Child Development Ministry, intend to support women affected by violence in private and public spaces, within family, community and at the workplace.

While not always true, it is usually women or children who are targets of abuse within the home, though there could be men too.

It is important all victims of gender-based violence have recourse to shelter and means to complain, combat, stop or get away from the abuse. The OSCs, when looking at them through a pragmatic prism, are necessary and the announcement that more OSCs are to be opened, does show that there may be a solid commitment to giving women a way out of abuse.

It is a sad commentary on us as a society and nation though, that these centres are needed and even more are being planned for women in distress. It is practical to have these helplines and centres but it is important that we make efforts to create awareness about violence, any and all forms of it.

Real change means prevention of gender-based violence, though that may be Utopian, say some. So, currently more centres are needed but when we have fewer centres or fewer calls to helplines because they are genuinely not needed any more, as there is no abuse, that is the day we can say there is real progress.