In a significant step towards women safety and empowerment in Himachal, GVK EMRI, integrated emergency services provider, signed an MoU with Women and Child Development Department to operate 181 Women Helpline centres across the state.Such centres are already operational in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh by the GVK EMRI.Mehul Sukumaran, state head, GVK EMRI, while elaborating on this new initiative said the 181 Women Helpline would be operated from Solan.A woman in distress can communicate their grievances to the 181 service which will further take it up with the stakeholders concerned in the state.This will help to strengthen the measures of women safety in the state. It will provide toll-free 24 hours telecom service to women affected by violence or those facing any distress or difficulty and support in the form of police assistance, medical assistance, ambulance services, legal assistance or even shelter in one stop centre.The helpline will be linked with one stop centre to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence or in distress.Explaining their working officials said as soon as women or somebody on her behalf would contact the helpline, her information would be attended by the call responder appointed at emergency response centre. Based on the urgency and the requirements explained by the caller, the responder will refer her to the relevant support services like medical aid, police assistance or connect her to one stop centre for professional counselling, shelter, legal aid etc. If the women needs to be rescued from a violent situation or is in urgent need of medical assistance then help will be provided from the nearest police station or 108 services would be intimated.The helpline will also provide information about the laws, existing government schemes and government programmes related to women empowerment and protection and guidance to women about processes to be adopted for accessing benefits of these schemes.
