Govt to revamp women’s helpline
16 Dec 2014 1:05 AM GMT
With the national Capital witnessing a rise in crimes against women, the government is planning to revamp the women’s distress helpline 181, set up after the December 16 gang-rape incident.
“We are in the process of revamping the 181 women’s distress helpline as it has been brought to our notice that not all calls are being catered to due to limitation in resources,” said a senior Delhi government official.
According to Khadijah Faruqui, consultant of the helpline, the manpower and infrastructure is insufficient to handle the large number of calls that it receives.
The helpline has three functioning phone lines managed by 16 women staffers. “With just three phones lines, around 30 per cent of distress calls are dropped. Also we need more manpower,” said Faruqui, adding the helpline since its inception has responded to as many as 8,51,455 complaints.
The government will also launch a special drive to make people aware about the helpline. The government official said they are planning to add new safety features to the helpline including a GPS location tracking facility. Out of 8,51,455 calls, cases were registered in 6,66,684 cases. The helpline was launched with much fandare by the then CM Sheila Dikshit after a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gangraped and murdered in a moving bus in December 2012.
“We are in the process of revamping the 181 women’s distress helpline as it has been brought to our notice that not all calls are being catered to due to limitation in resources,” said a senior Delhi government official.
According to Khadijah Faruqui, consultant of the helpline, the manpower and infrastructure is insufficient to handle the large number of calls that it receives.
The helpline has three functioning phone lines managed by 16 women staffers. “With just three phones lines, around 30 per cent of distress calls are dropped. Also we need more manpower,” said Faruqui, adding the helpline since its inception has responded to as many as 8,51,455 complaints.
The government will also launch a special drive to make people aware about the helpline. The government official said they are planning to add new safety features to the helpline including a GPS location tracking facility. Out of 8,51,455 calls, cases were registered in 6,66,684 cases. The helpline was launched with much fandare by the then CM Sheila Dikshit after a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gangraped and murdered in a moving bus in December 2012.
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