[COVID-19 Lockdown] Create phone helpline, take further urgent measures to protect victims of domestic violence: Lawyers write to Government

A letter has been addressed to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) proposing the implementation of various urgent measures, including the wide publication of a Domestic Violence Phone Helpline to protect those facing domestic violence during the now extended COVID-19 lockdown. .The letter states that since India has been under a complete lockdown for the last 20 days, there have been various instances and reports of increased domestic violence against women. .Though the NCW had launched a whatapp alert number (+91 7217735372) for the benefit of domestic violence victims and is accepting complaints via email, the letter requests that steps be taken urgently to ensure that women in India do not go remedy-less, especially as the second phase of the lockdown has begun. .In this regard, the letter notes that most women in India may not necessarily be aware of the existence of the National Commission for Women and therefore may not come to its website to see the whatsapp alert number. Further, it is pointed out most women in India may not have access to whatsapp or email/internet..To address the issue, the following suggestions have been made in the letter by Advocates Avani Bansal and Sourjya Das:.It is imperative that the government launches a phone helpline which is treated as an ‘essential service’ and operates on a 24x7 basis.The Government of India needs to conduct a massive awareness drive by publishing the domestic helpline number issued and the WhatsApp alert number issued by NCW in all major newspapers of India, and all relevant government websites. These need to be advertised in all newspapers, including regional newspapers for atleast 1 week, in the front-page of the newspapers for easy visibility.To maximise awareness it is proposed that leaflets of the helpline notice be distributed across every State/District in regional languages across India for a period of 1 week. Further, the notice must be advertised across various TV news/other channels across India. Moreover, an SMS Alert service should be started for women who do not have accessibility to WhatsApp or own a smartphone.India should also draw upon the best practices of other countries who have taken some major steps to provide assistance to domestic violence victims. In this regard, it is suggested that the Indian government should announce a scheme to provide government sponsored shelter to those who need immediate support during the lockdown being a victim of domestic violence, on the lines of the initiative of the French Government. Adding to this point, it is proposed that the government use the provisions of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, where the Magistrate can pass an order on the first date for the provision of shelter, after hearing the victim through video conferencing.The government should popularize the use of a code-word through which the domestic violence victims can report to the pharmacy stores (which are open during the lockdown), that they need support and that they are victims of domestic violence. For instance, the Spanish Government, followed by the French Government initiated the use of the code-word ‘Mask-19’ which are being used by the women in these countries..[Read letter here]