The ‘Sakhi’ -One Step Centres (SOSC) funded by State and Central governments are being operated in the district headquarters under the aegis of the department of the Women Development and Child Welfare in the state. SOSC for women in distress generally facing domestic violence playing a vital role in creating awareness, reducing crimes against women and helping resettlement of suffering females, provide a wide range of services including medical aid, psycho-social counseling, legal counseling, facilitation of police support, besides offering temporary shelter to women affected by violence in an integrated manner under one roof providing foods and clothes for five to six days. Information reveals that between 80 to 90 percent of the cases are amicably solved with a compromise. Due to intervention of the centre, women are able to get alimony if divorced, besides providing the legal help and support.
The centres are aimed to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. They extend support to women subjected to physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture by redressing their grievances. The aggrieved women experiencing any kind of violence due to attempted sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, honor related crimes, acid attacks or witch-hunting if referred. The women in distress can avail the services by contacting the staffers on the helpline number 181 round the clock. The women suffering from domestic violence are sent to the ‘Nari Niketan’ or female hostels according to the cases that fail to solve the matter.
A survey in this regard reveals that out of more than 10000 women in the state sent to the ‘Sakhi’ – One Step Centres in Haryana every year the cases are being settled amicably in between 80 to 90% cases with the help of the court. According to information, on the direction by the Prime Minister Narender Modi such centres were introduced in Haryana state in the year 2015 by Women and Child Development Department to provide assistance to women facing domestic violence under a roof by providing them temporary shelter, police assistance, legal help, health services and counselling by the experts for their resettlement. in life to those usually suffering due to child marriage, cyber crimes, domestic violence, acid victims, missings, victims of dowry demand and rapes.
