KOCHI: This help desk has turned more inclusive. As a facility started to help women and children who are victims of crime, Snehitha has time and again come to the aid of adolescents and young men up to the age of 25. Over the past three years — 2022 to March 2025 — the 24-hour help desk has handled 19,401 cases associated with women and children.
Kavitha Menon, a counsellor with the Ernakulam desk of Snehitha, tells TNIE, “The cases that come before us range from domestic violence to Pocso. We generally handle between 20-25 cases a month. I remember one day when we received around 120 calls seeking help!”
In the case of young men and teenage boys, most of the calls are made by mothers. “However, some of them approach us voluntarily, like in the case of a young man who sought our help to overcome drug addiction,” she adds.
“I still remember the case of a young man from North Paravoor. He was in a relationship with a woman in his class. For him, she was also his best friend. But when she broke up with him, the heartbroken young man decided to end his life. Snehitha got involved when his mother contacted us. The family was unable to locate him. He was also not ready to talk to anyone,” recounts Kavitha.
Snehitha intervened and connected with the young man. “After we provided counselling, he decided not to end his life but to continue his studies,” she says.
Then, there was the case where a woman brought her husband who was addicted to drugs. “Such cases are referred to competent centres since we are not specialised in de-addiction protocol,” says Kavitha. If these were the cases where men sought help from abusive women and children.
“Domestic violence cases top the list,” she says. According to her, when such victims seek help, Snehitha contacts the police station under whose jurisdiction the area falls.
“Officers then move in to rescue the victims. The victims are accommodated at short-stay centres with Snehitha before being shifted to shelter homes with whom we have an arrangement,” says Kavitha.
She says Snehitha aims to provide help and support to women and children in distress and provide them a platform to air their issues and concerns, and also to prevent and protect against domestic violence through advocacy, empowerment, and social change.
“Snehitha also facilitates the service of other institutional agencies like the legal service authority, police department, CWC, and NGOs to address the issues. We provide immediate help, shelter, counselling, motivation and legal aid to victims of violence.”
In 2013, Snehitha was started in Malappuram, Ernakulam, and Thiruvananthapuram. Two years later, help desks were started in Wayanad, Palakkad and Idukki. In 2017, it was launched in all districts.