Helplines in Andhra Pradesh in urgent need of help...... HYDERABAD: Even as cases of abuse of children and women continue to rise in the state, the helplines set up to help them remain largely unused, a fact that authorities attribute to the governments inability to spread awareness about helplines. With around 9,600 cases registered between 2007 and 2010, Andhra Pradesh has the dubious distinction of reporting the highest number of domestic violence cases in the country. Yet, the police helpline number, 1091, barely gets an average of two calls a day. An official said that cases pertaining to domestic issues are often ignored while more important cases are attended to. The Bhumika Collective helpline, 1800 425 2908, for distressed women gets about 25-30 serious calls daily from across the state. Compared to the 10 odd calls we would get when we started in 2006, the numbers have increased. However, there needs to be more awareness about the availability of the helpline number, said Kondaveeti Satyavati of the Bhumika Collective. A toll-free helpline number launched in August this year as part of a campaign against child exploitation and abuse has not managed pick up despite the hoopla surrounding it at the time of launch. Since the 1800-425-8696 helpline number gets barely a couple of calls each day, authorities of the Stay Safe campaign are now planning to replace the landline number with a cell phone number. As per a pan-India report released by the Asian Centre for Human Rights earlier this year, Andhra Pradesh reported a whopping 3,977 cases of child rapes between 2001 and 2011, the fourth highest in the country. Last year alone, 613 children were raped in the state. The ChildLine helpline in Andhra Pradesh gets about 280 calls every day, of which only 25-30 calls are actual cases while the majority are only enquiry calls.TOI
Posted on: Mon, 21 Oct 2013 07:05:15 +0000
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