‘She’ has 'One Stop Centres' in Haryana as a whip on injustice in society

Chandigarh, April 16: A woman is always the backbone of an Indian family. But still ‘she’ faces mental and physical hazards. Violence against woman is a serious concern. Women and children are particularly susceptible to victimization because they often have fewer rights or lack appropriate means of protection. In Haryana, a strong network of One Stop Centres is guarding Women in distressed situations. It is like a whip in ‘her’ hand which will help her in all situations. One stop centre is completely centrally sponsored scheme under the Nirbhaya Fund.

All districts of Haryana have set One Stop Centres (OSCs) to facilitate integrated services for women affected by violence. These services include police assistance, medical aid, psycho-social counselling, legal aid and temporary stay for five days.

An official of Women and Child Development Department on 1 June 2018 said that “at present seven OSCs are functional in as many districts and now Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has accorded approval for the setting up of 15 more centres in the rest other districts.”

Initially, in 2018, seven districts which already have the facility are Karnal, Bhiwani, Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar, Rewari and Narnaul.

Haryana witnessed a spate of attacks on women across all age groups, ranging from a three-year-old to a 50-year-old woman. Reaction from all level of society and people around Haryana shaken by these incidents, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government took it as alarming and decided to help women, victims.

How has our society reached a point where a small section of men feels they are exempted from facing any legal or social repercussions? This should set the alarm bells ringing for the government and civil society. For, if immediate action is not taken, it may well be too late. Now, these centres will definitely help women and protect their dignity in society.