Violence against women tops list of calls to 181

CHENNAI: Harassment, violence, and marriage issues were the main reasons women in the state dialled the 181 women’s helpline seeking support last year. The number of these complaints was higher than what was recorded in the previous two years.
In 2020-21, the helpline received over 5,700 distress calls, as per data received from the department of social welfare and nutritious meal programme.The numbers of calls complaining about harassment, violence, and domestic violence were 1,540, while the year before the number was 1,231. Calls about relationship or marital trouble also increased from 1,110 to 1,510, and the number of calls from women seeking mental health assistance increased by about 200 to 925.
This time, one of the common reasons cited for domestic violence was abuse propagated by misuse of technology. Women said that their partners often hacked into their digital devices to spy and stalk them due to suspicion.
“Many, including women, have been working hard and from home since the pandemic. Unfortunately, some are caught in this web, where their partners get access to their accounts, read their emails, chats, get suspicious, and become abusive. This is a new problem women are increasingly complaining of,” said an official from the social welfare department.
An official said that they began receiving more distress calls only after the lockdown was relaxed last year.
Gowri Ashokan, head of the state commission for women, said that the commission has received more complaints of domestic violence, abuse, and harassment since she took charge this year. “We summoned the parties and the officials concerned, but had to temporarily stop due to the lockdown as people were scared to travel,” she said.
Officials said they connected all complainants to local police stations, one-stop centers, provided legal aid and other help. However, experts said that not many are aware of this helpline, and because of which they feel trapped.
“There are several women, even in the city, who do not know how to seek relief without enraging their families.
“Once the authorities make it a priority to raise awareness they would find that there are many more complaints than what is received,” said KR Renuka from the Centre for Women's Development and Research.