DCW gets 38k domestic violence calls in 1 year: Data

The Delhi Commission For Women received more than 0.6 million distress calls between July 2022 and June 2023, it said

The Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) received more than 0.6 million distress calls between July 2022 and June 2023, while over 92,000 cases — of which the highest were related to domestic violence — were registered through the helpline during this period, its chairperson Swati Maliwal said on Saturday.

Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal addresses a press conference at DCW office in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI)

The cases registered through the 630,288 calls it received on its toll-free helpline number, 181, also included those related to conflict with neighbours, rape and sexual assault, Prevention of Children Under Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act , kidnapping, cybercrimes, missing, and grievances by senior citizens, Maliwal said during a press conference.

Besides, 11,187 of the total distress calls were made for cases outside Delhi, she added.

The 181 helpline is a 24x7, toll-free phone number, on which women can register their grievances. The helpline seeks to provide immediate assistance to women in distress through a network of counsellors, supervisors, consultants and experts. If the complainant requires police assistance or ambulance, the call counsellor informs the Police Control Room and arranges a PCR van for her counsellor or if required, sends an ambulance service to the victim. The helpline also provides information about various support services and government schemes and programmes available to women and girls.

Last year, the commission received 542,618 such calls, according to officials. However, no separate data was available on the nature of the calls for 2021-22, as officials familiar with the matter said this is the first time that DCW released a comprehensive report.

According to this year’s data shared by DCW, of the total cases, 38,342 cases were of domestic violence, followed by 9,516 cases of conflict with neighbours, 5,895 cases of rape and sexual harassment, 3,647 cases of Pocso, 4,229 cases of kidnapping, and 3,558 cases of cybercrime. The commission also received 1,552 missing complaints, while 3,144 complaints were registered by senior citizens.

The highest number of cases were lodged from Narela area ( 2,976) followed by Bhalswa Dairy (1,651), Burari (1,523), Kalyanpuri (1,371) and Jahangirpuri area (1,221), DCW said.

“We will be sending the report to Delhi police, central and state government. It’s a matter of shame the country’s capital is infamous as the ‘rape capital’ and ‘crime capital’ of the world. This needs to change. With folded hands, I request the central government to set up a high-level committee. They should call for an urgent meeting under the chairmanship of the home minister. LG, chief minister, police commissioner, and DCW should be part of the meeting. It is important to fix the police’s accountability,” said Maliwal.

Maliwal said that the helpline had received over 4 million calls in the past seven years, and the commission has been working effectively since it was backed by a team on the ground that took cognizance.

“The moment a woman calls on the helpline, a counsellor attends her call. If a woman is facing trouble in getting an FIR registered, our team goes to the police station and helps in getting the complaint registered,” said Maliwal. She added that the commission had also rescued girls from human trafficking after receiving complaints on the helpline.She also said that different agencies should work in tandem to ensure women’s safety.

Delhi deputy commissioner of police PRO Suman Nalwa said that police were committed towards upholding women’s safety and whenever intervention was required, required steps were taken.

Nalwa added that Delhi police steps in whenever the commission reaches out to the police control room.

“Delhi police also has a helpline catering to women which is handled by women officers. We have special police officers who are specially trained to address grievances of women. Whether one wants to talk about domestic violence or understand where and how to file a police complaint, or get any other immediate help, they can reach out to Delhi police’s 1091 helpline. The calls are answered by women cops who are specifically trained in women-related laws,” said Nalwa.

Ranjana Kumari, a social activist and director of the Centre for Social Research, said that the systems were not sensitised to address concerns of women and women were hesitant in reporting domestic violence and other grievances.

“Domestic violence is much more prevalent in society than the reported cases that we get. All the more women are stepping forward, women are still hesitant since societal stigma continues to weigh them down. They are also deterred by the consequences of reporting since the system is stacked against women. Out of ten such cases, only one woman is likely to report,” said Kumari.

She added that it was important to analyse how these complaints and cases were eventually dealt with. “It’s important to analyse how these cases are addressed after they are reported and if justice is guaranteed. We need to see how many women eventually get justice or any kind of support from the commission. Support should not be restricted to counselling alone,” said Kumari.