CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that grievances on 1.10 lakh calls from women in distress were addressed in the last six years by various departments and agencies.
The submission was made by state government pleader A Edwin Prabakar before the first bench of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice K Kumaresh Babu on Wednesday when a public interest litigation petition seeking to strengthen the safety of women in public places and providing safe facilities for them came up for hearing.
“Between December 2018 and May 2024, the women’s helpline—181— has received 9.36 lakh calls, of which 1.10 lakh calls were registered calls, 3.11 lakh were information calls and 5.13 lakh were irrelevant calls,” according to a status report filed in the court.
The 1.10 lakh actionable calls were related to various situations, including emergencies, rescue operations, harassment and violence, cybercrimes, child-related issues and workplace harassment. The grievances were addressed through various departments and agencies such as police, social welfare, One Stop Centres (OSCs) and family counselling centres, he said, adding that 50% of calls were referred to OSCs, 20% to police and the remaining 30% to other government departments for remedial action.
In order to provide affordable accommodation with strict safety measures, the government is providing accommodation to working women—Thozhi hostels— in 10 places in the state. Access to the hostel is controlled through a biometric system, the status report informed.
Referring to another petition on the utilisation of Nirbhaya funds, the government pleader submitted a status report of the home department. It stated that women’s help desks were set up in 800 police stations using the funds. As many as 800 laptops and an equal number of two-wheelers have been purchased at a cost of Rs 8 crore.