From April, women across state can dial 103 for help

Police Commissioner D Sivanandan during the function at the Police Club on Thursday. Ganesh Shirsekar

Express News Service Tags : women police helpline, mumbai Posted: Friday , Mar 05, 2010 at 2350 hrs Mumbai:

Come April, the 103 helpline would be made available to women across the state, the authorities announced on Thursday. They said the helpline has made Mumbai women “feel confident” in approaching the police against all kinds of harassments. The helpline was launched two years ago for women, senior citizens and children.

“By April, the (state) government plans to make this a state-level helpline so that women from across Maharashtra can seek solution to their problems,” additional chief secretary (Home) Chandra Iyengar said on Thursday.

The helpline was inaugurated on February 28, 2008 following the infamous incident on December 31, 2007 at Juhu where two women were molested by drunken men, said Nandita Shah of Akshara, a women’s organisation that helped in setting up the service. “The helpline has done great work since its inception. It has helped protect many women from domestic violence, eve teasing and other such problems,” Shah said. “Over the years, the helpline has taken action in 2,810 cases so far out of which 1,623 were of domestic violence and 516 were of eve teasing. It has helped in a way that women, who face any kind of harassment either at home or colleges or workplaces, feel confident about approaching the authorities to complain about their problems and seek justice,” Police Commissioner D Sivanandhan added. Once an aggrieved person makes a call to the helpline, the response time for the authorities is 6-7 minutes, Sivanandhan claimed.

Meanwhile, Iyengar requested senior city police officials to ensure that the complainants on the helpline are attended in a sympathetic and sensitive manner. “It is also necessary that police officers ensure a follow up on the cases so that complainants do so with confidence that their grievances would be addressed,” she said.

... contd.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/From-April--women-across-state-can-dial-103-for-help/586943/

Soon, women in distress can dial ‘103’ for help

Sagnik ChowdhuryPosted: Feb 10, 2008 at 0017 hrs IST

Mumbai, February 9 Soon, a woman at the receiving end of eve-teasing, harassment, molestation and any other atrocity will just have to dial ‘103’ from a mobile or a landline number, and the police help will be on its way.
With incidents of molestation on the rise—the recent one being at Juhu early on the New Year’s Day when a mob molested two NRI women—the Mumbai Police will launch a dedicated helpline for women in the city, which Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil will formally inaugurate on February 20. The police are also planning to cover senior citizens and juveniles under the helpline.
“Since October or November last year, we have wanted to take an initiative to make women feel more secure and assured in the city. However, because of various incidents and important cases, we were not able to do so for some time. The Juhu molestation incident precipitated the need for such an initiative. Now we are launching a helpline for women. They can call up ‘103’ from their mobiles or landline phones to inform the police about anything they want to, and we will take immediate action,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) K L Prasad told Newsline.
“Initially, we thought that the helpline would be meant only for street crimes against women. However, now we have decided that people can call up the helpline for any incident they want to report. Even domestic crimes will fall under this. A woman can call the helpline to inform the police about something she has seen which needs our attention. The subject of the call can be anything at all, as long as the caller wants the help of the police. As soon as the call is received, depending on the nature of the information, the police vehicle nearest to the spot will be rushed there,” said Prasad.
The helpline number will be operated by a specially-trained team, who have been given instructions on how to attend calls, politely and patiently, and pass on relevant details to the control room. Two women personnel have already been assigned for the helpline, and some other policemen are being trained for the job.
“Distress calls from senior citizens and juveniles might also be included in this initiative, but since we already have an elderline in place for senior citizens, this has not been finalised,” said Prasad.
According to Prasad, this is how the helpline will function: On dialling 103, a caller will be given three different options. The caller will be asked to dial 1 for women-related issues, 2 for issues related to senior citizens, and 3 for those related to juveniles.
“We were planning to launch the helpline on February 19, as it was the birth date of Shivaji’s mother, who was a very strong woman and a great influence on him. However, due to some issues, it will now be launched by the Deputy CM on February 20 at Azad Maidan police club. We will advertise the landline through hoardings across the city,” said Prasad.
sagnik.chowdhury@expressindia.com
Courtesy: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/soon-women-in-distress-can-dial-103-for-help/271268/ 

Women in trouble can dial 103 from today

MAN’S WORLD: Dy CM R R Patil with outgoing commissioner of police D N Jadhav during the launch of the helpline on Thursday.

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: “If the gory images of two women being molested on the road on New Years’ Eve had not been splashed by the media, there’s a chance the police helpline for women may not have been launched today.’’ That’s what deputy chief minister R R Patil had to say while inaugurating the brand new police helpline for victimised women and children in distress on Thursday.

The toll free helpline number, 103, can be accessed from a cellphone as well as a landline. Specially trained personnel will man the helpline. Several prominent women’s rights groups and activists like Nandita Shah from Akshara, have supported the helpline. Shah, who has worked with women’s issues for over two decades, said that the helpline could reach out to all women facing abuse, whether at home or on the streets.

Patil assured the police that if ever they were short of resources, the state home department would support the helpline. He even suggested that pamphlets on the helpline be circulated in schools.

Police commissioner D N Jadhav called it a “historic helpline’’ which would go a long way in benefiting society. “After all, women constitute half the population,’’ he said.

The cops already run a helpline for senior citizens, which have received 45,000 calls since 2006.

Patil vowed that the cops would attend to every single woman who called on the helpline. He hoped the helpline would be used not just after the abuse had taken place, but also to prevent abuse. “The helpline will really be a success if a woman calls in and talks of abuse that’s going to happen to her, and the cops are able to rush to the spot and prevent the incident from taking place,’’ said Patil.

While stressing the need for the helpline, additional chief secretary (home) Chitkala Zutshi spoke of her experience a decade ago, as member secretary of the State Women’s Commission. “I had accompanied the cops on raids in red light areas where minors were rescued and sent to remand homes. Many objected, as their only source of income had been taken away from them. They asked us why we had rescued them when they were 16 years old and not when they were eight or 10 and had been forced into the trade,’’ she said.

Courtesy: http://www.karmayog.org/helplines/helplines_12896.htm

One more step towards ending violence against women

On the 4th of March, 2010, Mumbai Police and Akshara, in the presence of
Ms. Chandra Iyengar, Addl. Chief Secretary (Home) and the entire media
community, successfully launched the new campaign for 103 police helpline
for crimes against women at the Azad Maidan Police Club. The helpline which
has helped more than 2800 women to raise their voices against violence and
take police help, completed two years on 28th of February 2010. The helpline
ensures that police arrive at the doorstep within few minutes
after receiving the call.

Almost as a gift for the International women’s day, Ms. Iyengar agreed to
our demand and made landmark announcement that by April, the 103 helpline
would be made available across the State, so that women from all over
Maharashtra can receive prompt and effective redressal to their problems.

Please check out the publicity material designed by Leo Burnett and produced
by Akshara, which are displayed across all major traffic signals across
Mumbai in the form of vertical panels, BEST Buses as rear adverts, cinema
theatres as slides, and at other public places like colleges, hospitals, all
police stations, chowkis and vans etc as posters. Akshara has also tied up
with the Mumbai traffic department to display the 103 helpline number on all
major electronic hoardings across the city, and with Central and Western
Railways to paste stickers of 103 inside all trains and near ticket
counters. Apna TV, the community video unit of Akshara has made a short
documentary capturing the impact stories of the helpline 103, which was also
screened at the event and received very positive response.

With everyone’s support, we can make sure that we reach maximum number of
women, make this number a nationwide number contributing to ending violence
against women.

Links of press/media coverage of the event:
1. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_helpline-103-will-now-be-for-all-women-in-maharashtra_1355417
2. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/From-April--women-across-state-can-dial-103-for-help/586943/
3. http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100304/4926093925886312477.htm
4. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=E9JTS8yMDEwLzAzLzA1I0FyMDA3MDQ=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
5.http://epaper.hindustantimes.com//artMailDisp.aspx?article=05_03_2010_003_003&typ=1&pub=264

Regards,

Nandita Shah Anisha Padhee
Co-Director Program Officer VAW

posted 13 March 2010 by Nandita Shah from email

Courtesy: http://dgroups.org/ViewDiscussion.aspx?c=65c812b0-3f36-46c1-aa6f-87c6d49cd31e&i=4bd77b7b-d8e2-4bfe-8456-6ea4e954afdc

Stressed students can now dial 103

Mumbai, April 6 -- Students in distress can dial 103 for help. The state government, in an attempt to curb the spate of student suicides, said the helpline that was for women and children will now be available to students too.

"This number will now be available for all students below the age of 21. Any student feeling any pressure due to exams or any other reason can call and we will have counsellors to help them," Home Minister R.R. Patil said in the Legislative Council on Monday. Eighty-six students committed suicide in Maharashtra between January and March 2010, mostly because of pressure to do well in their studies. Twenty-two of these were from Mumbai, which had the highest suicide rate in the state.
Bajanjit Kaur (18), a medical college student, allegedly committed suicide at her Powai residence on January 4. Kaur had failed in three subjects. A day later, Class 7 student, Sushant Patil, was found hanging in the toilet at his school in Dadar. He had failed in four papers. Lokbharti Party's member of Legislative Council, Kapil Patil, raised the issue in the Council on Monday, saying suicides were a "social problem". "We need to constitute a committee of experts, change our style of taking examinations, include a grading system, make counselling available in schools, and even set up a state plan to look at this problem," said Kapil Patil.
Minister of State for School Education, Fauzia Khan, said a committee of experts, headed by leading child psychiatrist, Dr Anand Nadkarni, will be formed to examine the reasons behind suicides. The committee will prepare an action plan and monitor such cases.
"The committee will also include representatives from the Home, Health and Education departments along with teachers and parents," Khan said. The state has also approached the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to train teachers to counsel students. "It will cost the state about Rs 75 lakh, which we are in the process of considering," Khan said.
Khan said this would make things easier for students who do not want to pursue Math-related courses after Class 10.

Courtesy: http://in.news.yahoo.com/32/20100406/1053/tnl-stressed-students-can-now-dial103_1.html
Tue, Apr 6 09:55 AM

Just dial 103 for accident relief

Bangalore: Don't panic the next time you witness an accident. help is just a call away. just dial the toll free traffic police control room number, 103 for accident rescue through comprehensive trauma consortium. the connects to the police commissioner's office and the ctc centre on airport road ensures that an ambulance from the respective zonal hospital picks up the victim/s and rushes him/her to the nearest hospital. the advocates association, bangalore, and lion's club, j.p.nagar, held an awareness programme about ctc recently. the programme was inaugurated by home minister mallikarjun kharge. speaking on the occasion, he said the driver alone cannot be blamed for an accident. the traffic system too is responsible, he added. dr venkataramana, neurosurgeon and convener, ctc, said that 60 per cent of accident victims die after reaching the hospital, which is normally 3-6 hours after the accident. these deaths are mostly due to the poor accessibility to first aid, absence of established trauma care centres and inability to ensure timely and proper transport.

Courtesy: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4798736.cmsTNN, Mar 25, 2002, 12.42am IST