By Megha

Executive Summary

The One Stop Centre (OSC) or the Sakhi Centre, that was established in 2015 by the government of India in order to provide support to women who have been subject to violence. This is done via various means such as the provision of legal aid, medical assistance, accommodation, etc. The intent behind this was primarily to centralise and speeden all the services to provide support so that it can be done in an effective manner.

Background

Violence against women is a very prominent issue with a large population of women across the country, amongst all age groups are subject to the same (Kalokhe et al., 2016). This even proceeds to have grave effects on not only the women, but the society as a whole (Chrisler & Ferguson, 2006). Hence, this called for the need to introduce the OSC scheme, under the Ministry of Women and Child Development which forms a part of the broader National Mission for Empowerment of Women, where the ultimate intent was to centralise the procedures and create a supportive and accessible environment for women and moving away from the previously fragmented and complex system of procedures. Hence, now, aid can be provided to the ones in need with immediate effect, lesser logistical burdens, etc (Sakhi-One Stop Centres, n.d.).

Key Features

This scheme that is operational 24/7 offers a plethora of facilities to these survivors of violence, which includes police facilitation where these women are helped with the filing of complaints without any form of delay. Along with immediate medical help where any forms of injuries from violence can be treated, via the Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP), the government also provides them with legal aid where in they are given advice as well as legal representation. Not only that, but they are also provided with psychological support to ensure stability and to cope with the traumas they have faced. They are provided with shelters for not only themselves, but also their children so that they can have a safe space to stay at until they make alternative arrangements. They work closely with numerous stakeholders such as the police, healthcare practitioners, NGOs, etc to provide apt support that is needed. Additionally, they also ensure confidentiality and privacy of the victims, thus fostering a trustworthy environment (One-stop Centres (OSC), n.d.).

Key Issues

Even with such a strong foundation, the OSC scheme still faces a lot of challenges. A key concern remains that there exists high levels of variability where in some states have proven to be more efficient that the others. For example, in some states, the accommodations do not have enough accessible toilets, is subject to power cuts pretty frequently, and various other infrastructural challenges. While this programme is funded completely by the union government via the Nirbhaya fund, there has still been a case of underutilisation of funds where it was discovered that merely 328 crores out of the allocated 735 crores were used, especially in states like Bihar and Karnataka which used up the least amounts of funding, despite having extremely high rates of violence and additionally, legal aid remains inconsistent (Suresh et al., 2023).  A great demotivator when it comes to working for OSCs is they low levels of salaries the workers and counsellors are provided, along with the numerous beaurocratic hurdles. Women are also very less aware of the existence of such a scheme, thus hampering effectiveness. To truly empower the survivors, one must make this scheme more visible and accessible within the economy.

Recommendations

For the betterment of this scheme, one would primarily need to address the issue of the underutilization of funds by imposing more stringent rules with regard to the same and conduct regular audits and transparency. Another important factor is to improve the infrastructure facilities at these centres, especially with regard to restrooms as it is more of a necessity rather than a want, hence increasing its functionality. In order to boost morale and gather people to work towards the betterment of the situation of violence, it is necessary to increase salaries and reduce the hurdles related to bureaucracy and improve their training as well as these situations are extremely critical in nature and need professionals that can keep the situation in control aptly. Even though awareness campaigns are being conducted already, the effectiveness of this has proven to be extremely low; the focus should be on spreading awareness in rural areas, and in general, outreach could be improved via the use of social media, radios, local NGOs, etc to inform women about the facilities available. The agenda should be to start at the grass root levels and to attempt to alter the social stigma and cultural barriers that prevent the attainment of a society where gender equality does exist. Implementation of programmes that aid in the assessment and effectiveness of these programmes should be done on a regular basis in order to be able to identify if there are any improvements that have to be made, or about the other needs these women face often that need to be addressed. Hence, by addressing these issues, the OSC scheme will be better equipped to support women and work towards their empowerment.

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References

Chrisler, J. C., & Ferguson, S. (2006). Violence against Women as a Public Health Issue. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1087(1), 235–249. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1385.009

Kalokhe, A., Del Rio, C., Dunkle, K., Stephenson, R., Metheny, N., Paranjape, A., & Sahay, S. (2016). Domestic violence against women in India: A systematic review of a decade of quantitative studies. Global Public Health, 12(4), 498–513. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2015.1119293

One-stop centres (OSC). (n.d.). https://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/1564-one-stop-centres-osc.html

Sakhi-One Stop centres. (n.d.). https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1814091

Suresh, N., Suresh, N., & Indiaspend. (2023, May 5). One stop, many challenges: Sakhi centres struggle to support women survivors of violence. Indiaspend. https://www.indiaspend.com/governance/one-stop-many-challenges-sakhi-centres-struggle-to-support-women-survivors-of-violence-861666