BENGALURU: While there are police stations dedicated just to women and helplines like Vanitha Sahayavani that provide assistance to women who have experienced sexual assault, there is no one to help them with the psychological trauma they endure. In order to provide first-level intervention to survivors of rape and sexual assault, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) plans to train NGOs in the city.
“Women who have experienced rape or sexual assault need validation, and support in approaching the police and court. While NIMHANS Centre for Wellbeing provides it, this is only at one centre in BTM layout. Hence, we have decided to train volunteers WHO already work with victims in Bengaluru. As a first, we will train 25 volunteers in January. The target is to start services by March 2019,” said Dr Prabha S Chandra, professor and head of Department of Psychiatry, NIMHANS.
The curriculum is being prepared now, and will involve a toolkit titled ‘Psychological Support for Women Survivors of Sexual Assault’, which the institute previously prepared for the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. “The week-long training will have scientific training on what needs to be said to the woman, how trauma manifests, how the women must be helped, aftermath of the trauma, counselling the spouse and family members of the victim, etc. We will choose volunteers carefully, as this is a stressful job that can effect their wellbeing too,” said Chandra, who is also in charge of NIMHANS Centre for Wellbeing.
If a person has serious trauma-related issues, seniors from NIMHANS can step in. So far, NGO Mahila Dakshatha Samiti, located in Vidyaranyapura, has been roped in. “With this, we will have one centre in north Bengaluru, apart from the one in the south. The aim is to eventually expand to more such organisations,” she added.