NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has received over one lakh calls since it launched its round-the-clock helpline number for women in distress in July last year, of which nearly 15% were about domestic abuse. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said,
“There was huge traffic of calls during the third Covid wave. We are still seeing a continuous increase in calls.” The panel received 1,08,261 calls from women in distress till April 28. Of the total calls, 14.75% were from women facing domestic violence, which included physical, verbal, emotional and financial abuse, Sharma said.
Subsequent Covid lockdowns and the mandate to stay indoors is believed to have led to the spike. The helpline number was launched in July last year to provide 24-hour toll-free telecom service to women facing harassment and violence and seeking support, information and non-crisis intervention through psychological counselling or referral to appropriate agencies such as police, hospitals, ambulance services and other legal services.
“Considering the urgency in the matters of domestic violence that survivors are confined at homes with their abusers, we launched this WhatsApp number as an emergency response during the lockdown,” Sharma said. The need for a dedicated helpline number was felt after an NCW report last year found that complaints related to domestic violence and cybercrimes increased by 25 percent during the first and second Covid lockdowns.