Sakhi Centre creates awareness on domestic violence, dowry harassment in Mancherial

The SOSC, funded by State and Central governments, is being operated in the district headquarters by Sahaya Welfare Association, a Peddapalli-based NGO, under the aegis of the department of the Women Development and Child Welfare.

Mancherial: In a welcoming sign, Sakhi One Stop Centre (SOSC) for women in distress is playing a vital role in creating awareness and in turn, reducing crimes against women.

The SOSC, funded by State and Central governments, is being operated in the district headquarters by Sahaya Welfare Association, a Peddapalli-based NGO, under the aegis of the department of the Women Development and Child Welfare. It provides a wide range of services including medical aid, psycho-social counseling, legal counseling, facilitation of police support, besides offering temporary shelter to women affected by violence in an integrated manner under one roof.

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According to the centre’s administrator Ajmeera Srilatha, Mancherial district saw a significant dip in various forms of offences against women in particular in domestic violence with the advent of the facility. The district recorded 106 domestic violence cases in 2023-24 as against 108 cases in 2022-23, 116 cases in 2021-22 and 138 cases in 2021-20 and 150 offences reported in 2019-20.

“The awareness being created by the centre among the women can be attributed to the decrease of the serious offence against the women. Shelter and food is provided to the women facing the violence. Legal aid is extended to women. Due to intervention of the centre, women are able to get alimony if divorced,” District Welfare Officer K Chinnaiah told ‘Telangana Today.’

Incidentally, 403 awareness programmes were conducted by the staffers of the centre from April 1, 2019 to March 31 of 2024, benefitting 38,125 women and 12,319 men as well. A total of 1,579 victims were provided with psycho-social counselling, while 478 victims got legal support during the four years. As many as 348 women were sheltered and medical services were extended to 112 women during the period.

Objectives of Sakhi One Stop Centres

The centres are aimed to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. They extend support to women subjected to physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture by redressing their grievances.

They reach out to aggrieved women experiencing any kind of violence due to attempted sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, honor related crimes, acid attacks or witch-hunting if referred. The women in distress can avail the services by contacting the staffers on the helpline number 181 round the clock.