CHANDIGARH: With a view to providing integrated support and assistance to women affected by any kind of violence both in private and public places, the Haryana government has decided to set up One Stop Centres (OSCs) in 15 districts of the State under the Swarn Jayanti Programme.
Haryana women and child development minister Kavita Jain said Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has approved the proposal. A sum of over Rs 20.61 crore would be spent on the construction of these centres. The centres would be set up in the districts of Ambala, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Jind, Sonipat, Panipat, Rohtak, Jhajjar, Charkhi Dadri, Palwal and Nuh. Earlier, such centres were set up in Karnal, Hisar, Bhiwani, Rewari, Narnaul, Gurugram and Faridabad districts.
These would support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, regardless of age, class, caste, education and marital status, race and culture, would be facilitated with support and redressal.
Aggrieved women facing any kind of violence due to attempted sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, honour-related crimes, acid attacks or witch-hunting who have reached out or been referred to the centre, would be provided with specialised services.
Jain said in order to support girls aged under 18, institutions and authorities established under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, would be linked with these centres.
Each centre would be integrated with a Women Helpline to provide a range of services, including medical assistance like referral to hospital through helpline or centre, police assistance to facilitate or assist in filing First Information Report, psycho-social support or counselling, legal aid or counselling, shelter and video conferencing facility.
These would also be integrated with 181 and other existing helpline services. Women affected by violence and in need of redressal services would be referred to the centres through these helplines, she added.
Already, one such centre was established two years back in Karnal, the home district of Khattar.