A Letter was written to to Union Minister of Women and Child Development and National Commission for Women, mentioning urgent measures for Domestic violence victims. It recommended Domestic Violence Phone Helpline as various cases were reported in the last 20 days of lockdown.
The NCW had also launched WhatsApp alert number (+91 7217735372) for the recrding grievances of domestic violence victims and is accepting complaints via email.
The letter was sent to ensure urgent remedy for every concerned woman in the upcoming COVID-19 lockdown days. The letter also pointed out about less vigilance and awareness amongst women regarding the various help measures in this regard.
The following suggestions were made in the letter by Advocates Avani Bansal and Sourjya Das:
- It is imperative that the government launches a phone helpline which is treated as an ‘essential service’ and operates on a 24×7 basis.
- The Government of India needs to conduct a massive awareness drive by publishing the domestic helpline number issued and the WhatsApp alert number issued by NCW in all major newspapers of India, and all relevant government websites. These need to be advertised in all newspapers, including regional newspapers for at least 1 week, in the front-page of the newspapers for easy visibility.
- To maximise awareness it is proposed that leaflets of the helpline notice be distributed across every State/District in regional languages across India for a period of 1 week. Further, the notice must be advertised across various TV news/other channels across India. Moreover, an SMS Alert service should be started for women who do not have accessibility to WhatsApp or own a smartphone.
- India should also draw upon the best practices of other countries who have taken some major steps to provide assistance to domestic violence victims. In this regard, it is suggested that the Indian government should announce a scheme to provide government sponsored shelter to those who need immediate support during the lockdown being a victim of domestic violence, on the lines of the initiative of the French Government. Adding to this point, it is proposed that the government use the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, where the Magistrate can pass an order on the first date for the provision of shelter, after hearing the victim through video conferencing.
- The government should popularize the use of a code-word through which the domestic violence victims can report to the pharmacy stores (which are open during the lockdown), that they need support and that they are victims of domestic violence. For instance, the Spanish Government, followed by the French Government initiated the use of the code-word ‘Mask-19’ which are being used by the women in these countries.
