Govt. to Prioritize on Strengthening OSCs for Women in Distress

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 3 March 2022

The WCD ministry has decided to focus on strengthening OSCs, which are seen as a vital refuge for many women in distress, by training and certifying the staff steering the 704 one-stop centres (OSC) in managing the mental and emotional trauma of survivors of violence and protecting the well-being of personnel operating these centres by allowing for a INR 5 lakh insurance cover for OSC staff.

Under the Nirbhaya fund, it started the one-stop centre initiative in 2015. So far, 704 of the 733 OSCs that have been sanctioned are operational, with intentions to establish 300 more. OSCs assist women in distress with emotional, legal, and medical assistance.

The ministry announced the launch of MoUs with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences and the National Legal Aid Services Authority to step up capacity-building of the staff at a programme attended by representatives of 600 OSCs as part of the celebrations of International Women's Day week.

As with mental health problems and trauma management, sensitivity and care are essential components of the work at OSCs. Nimhans will train OSC employees through a two-month certification programme by August as part of a project called 'Stree Manorakshak.' Prabha Chandra, a prominent professor of psychiatry at Nimhans, elaborated the matter, "basic training has been provided in pilot mode to 2,033 staff of all levels starting from those manning the entry of the OSCs as for a woman reaching a centre every contact point needs to be sensitive."

She attributed the focus on the capacity building programme for OSC personnel to lessons learned from the epidemic. She said, "We at Nimhans started the psycho-social helpline as a lot of people are suffering from mental health problems due to domestic violence, gender-based violence etc. We started getting more distressed calls from women during pandemics, and we took to telecounselling as a mode to reach many more."