Providing succour to women hit by domestic violence

By Rithu Dravid | NT

Bengaluru: While there has been an increase in the number of instances of domestic violence against women in the state, experts claim a large section of women in the state are unaware of their rights and unable to combat the constant threat of violence.

Nirbhaya Kendra-Sakhi One Stop is a safe city project that serves such women and children in distress. It has been set up by the Department of Woman and Child Development, under the joint initiative of the central and state government, as part of the Nirbhaya Fund.

“Most of the victims hail from Bengaluru, and issues pertaining to pre-marital live-in relationships and extra marital relationships are the foremost reasons of abuse and violence. Around 70% of domestic violence cases are due to infidelity,” says Sowmya, Central Administrator of the Kendra.

In such cases, the counsellors provide single or multiple sessions to the victim and the opponent in order to bring amicable settlement. Women can seek shelter at the centre for five days, following which they can approach the Swadhar Greh for rehabilitation.

Children below the age of eight can be accommodated in the Sishu Mandira, and the older ones can stay in the boy and girl homes respectively. The availability of oncall doctors, the nursing staff and the police officials help in attending to the victims.

“We educate the families about the legal implications of domestic violence and strictly advise them not to repeat any kind of abuse on the spouse or family member,” Sowmya said.

Between March 2020 and March 2022, the Karnataka State Commission for Women received a total of 4,660 cases of domestic violence, of which 1,987 have been resolved. “Domestic violence starts with the differences or misunderstanding between spouses and the family members. Counselling helps save marriages and help children thrive in safer environments. Around 50% of the issues are based on misunderstandings and later some lead to violence,” said Pramila Naidu, chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Women.

Counselling and psychological rehabilitation to save the relationship is of utmost importance, especially if the couple have children. When women’s rights have been tampered with, the right to approach the commission and seek justice is the right move, she said.

The welfare of children is also crucial in such relationships. “The children are the future citizens of the country and they should not suffer. The child needs to be in a healthy environment and not face the consequences of an abusive relationship for no fault of theirs,” she said.

Unsafe and violent environments often tend to leave children in despair which eventually leads them into depression. “We should ensure emotional support to children facing trauma as a result of domestic violence and prevent them from taking any wrong step,” she said.