With the view of containing the rise of crime against women amid containing the spread of Coronavirus in the state, the Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women has launched the helpline numbers to deal with the crime and violence reported against women during the lockdown. 

According to the reports, through the helpline numbers, the commission has aimed to provide counseling and legal assistance to the affected women for which it has deputed representatives and distributed the contact numbers of the counselors in all the districts. The initiative was launched on Wednesday and the commission has received 394 calls from across the state on the first day of launch.

The reports stated that the commission has received calls from women to seek counseling on various issues including domestic violence. According to the commission, it provides counseling at the initial stage through talking to the affected women in detail on what they have faced and it also provides counseling to the husbands if they are co-operative to dot up the issue without letting it grow further.

If women face more aggressive situations, they can approach the one-stop centers and since they can't hop out of their homes in the wake of the lockdown, the commission sends a government vehicle to their homes to bring them to the one-stop centers without any hindrance and these one-stop centers provide support and assistance for women who are reported to have affected by physical, emotional, and sexual issues. 

The violence against women has apparently been rising across the country during the lockdown period. Last week, the National Commission for Women revealed the appalling reality that the number of complaints the commission received has been increasing amid the lockdown. The commission has admitted that domestic violence tops the list of the total complaints.

According to the chairperson of the National Commission for Women, the increase in cases can be connected to the nationwide lockdown which has put the abuser and the victim together in the same place. On April 10, the national commission has launched the WhatsApp number -7217735372 to get direct reportings from the victims. In a statement, the commission has stated that these cases would be inspected following which the victims would be provided with immediate security through the respective state police and local administration.

For helpline numbers, visit: https://www.tnsocialwelfare.org/tenders/index/government_orders

Also read: Coronavirus vs crime virus - More crimes against women amid lockdown!