State services for women....a study

Hengasara Hakkina Sangha, Bangalore
State services for women in crisis in Karnataka: A study

State serState serState serState serState services for women in crisisvices for women in crisisvices for women in crisisvices for women in crisisvices for women in crisis
in Karin Karin Karin Karin Karnataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A study
Authors:
Indhu Subramaniam and Usha B NIndhu Subramaniam and Usha B NIndhu Subramaniam and Usha B NIndhu Subramaniam and Usha B NIndhu Subramaniam and Usha B N

State services for women in crisis in
Karnataka: A study
Authors:
Indhu Subramaniam and Usha B N
Jan 2010
Published by;
Cover page design:
Latha B N
Printed at:
National Printing Press, Bangalore
Pages: 92
Support:
KIOS, The Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights

INTRODUCTION 1
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN KARNATAKA- 5
AN OVERVIEW
METHODOLOGY 11
POLICY ANALYSIS - 19
A CRITIQUE OF SERVICES STUDIED
STATE FUNDED COUNSELLING CENTRES 26
STATE FUNDED AND STATE RUN 46
RESIDENTIAL SERVICES
FINDINGS 72
RECOMMENDATIONS 83
CONTENTS

This study and report would not have been possible without the help, assistance and cooperation we have
receivedfromvariousindividualsandinstitutions.Wewouldliketothank:
o Department ofWomen and Child Development, Karnataka
o Karnataka SocialWelfareAdvisory Board
o KarnatakaStatelegalservicesauthority
o Organisationsofferingservices:forthedataandinterviewsprovided
o NGO’s who consented to be interviewed in the sample districts
o Women using the services who consented to be interviewed
o Asha Kilaru,Aditi Iyer, Chitra Balakrishanan and Rebecca Eapen: for an initial brainstorming
session
o Data collectors: Basavaraj Kubkaddi- Bagalkot and Bijapur, Mahananda C. Pattanashetty -
Bellary and Haveri, Nagaveni H Gowda- Uttara Kannada, Harish.R- Mysore, K.N.Ekanthappa-
Davangere,Pushpalatha-Kolar,SujathaKoppalkad-DakshinaKannada, VaijushaBaburaoAdake-
Belgaum.
o AnuroopaGiliyal: forcoordinatingdatacollectionandcollatingdata.
o ChitraBalakrishanan:forhelpinwritingtwochapters.
o Rebecca Eapen: for providing feedback and editing the report
o Du Saraswathi: for translation of the report into Kannada
o Shakun Mohini, Vimochana and Suchithra Vedanthh, State Programme Director, Mahila
Samakhya: fortheirvaluable timeandconversations
o SadhanaMahilaGumpu:fortheirtime,conversationandinsights
o Usha B N and Rekha S, HHS: for translation of questionnaires into Kannada
o Jyothi Hebbar, HHS: for help with maps
o Chaitra K V and Usha B N, HHS: for case studies
o KIOS,FinnishNGOFoundationforHumanRightsforfundingthisstudy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

State serState serState serState serState services for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Karararararnataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A study 11111
1
HengasaraHakkinaSangha(HHS)hasbeenworkingintheareaofwomenandlawforthepasttenyearsandthe
focus of our work has been to provide rights education to women’s collectives, build resources on gender and
rights,researchandadvocacyonissuesrelatedtoviolenceagainstwomenandlegalrights.Ourinteractionswith
women’scollectives,Stateinstitutionsandmediaonwomen’slegalrightshasmeantquestioningandchallenging
dominantnotionsandnormsthatsubordinatewomeninmultiplewaysandbringaboutchangesinsystemsand
institutionsthatmaintainthisstatusquo. Substantivelaw1
,legalstructuresandproceduresandthepeoplewithin
thelegalsystemarecomplicitinthissubordinationofwomen.Lawandthelegalsystemoftenfunctionswithinthe
framework of patriarchy and reinforces deeply gendered assumptions, relations and institutions. It legitimizes
valuesthatpreventwomen’sfullparticipationinsocial,economic,politicalandculturallifeofsociety.Thisreality
has ensured law and legal spaces as an important domain for women’s movement in its struggle for gender
justice.HHS’engagementwithlawhasbeentoadvocateforalegalsystemthatrespondstoneedsofwomenand
encourage women to use law as a tool to access gender justice. This process has been a dynamic and on going
process of questioning and negotiating power equations that subordinate women. Our work has focused on
supportingaccessandassertionofwomen’srightsandcreatingenablingenvironmentsforthis.
In India, equality and non discrimination on the basis sex is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution.
Women’scivilandpoliticalrightsareConstitutionalguaranteeswhilesocialandeconomicrightsareenshrinedin
thedirectiveprinciples.IndiahasalsoratifiedtheConventiononEliminationofallformsofDiscriminationAgainst
Women(CEDAW),therebycommittingitselftorecognizingandaddressingviolenceagainstwomen(VAW)in
itsvariousmanifestationswithinitsframeworkofsubstantiverights.ItisaStateobligationtoensureviolencefree
lifeforwomeninsubstantiveterms
Whilst we have several progressive Constitutional guarantees, VAW has been a critical area of concern and
activismforthewomen’smovement.ThoughStateandmediaaremuchmorereadytotalkaboutVAWthanever
before, the dominant discourse on women and violence is still embedded in values that are highly moralist and
conservative. Beitpolice,lawyers,judges,media-womenarestillplacedinprivate/domesticrealm.Womenas
INTRODUCTIONCHAPTER
1
Substantive law: Substantive law is the statutory or actual written law that governs rights and obligations of those who are
subject to it.
INTRODUCTION

equal participants and contributors to society and country are never fore grounded. Issues of women’s sexual
history,characterarestillareusedasmarkerstojudgewhichwomendeservejustice.Women’sidentitiesrelatedto
caste,classandreligiondecidestheextenttowhichtheyareabletonavigateaccesstojustice.Today,marketand
fundamentalismplayadecisiveroleindefininglivesofwomen.Therecentvigilanteattacksonwomenbyrightist
forcesinDakshinaKannada,increasingacidattacksonwomen,increaseinsexualharassmentofwomeninthe
unorganizedsectors,increaseinnumberofHIVpositivewomeninheterosexual,monogamousrelationshipsare
sometellingexamples.ThenatureofVAWisdiversifyingandthereisaneedtoexaminethewayinwhichthese
issuesarebeingaddressedandwhethertheyareadequatetorespondtotheneedsofwomenfacingviolence.
Tobeabletorespondadequately,therehastobeanunderstandingofwomen’slivesasdeeplyentrenchedinthe
presentsocial,communitarianandpoliticalmilieu.Women’sgenderidentityintersectsandisinfluencedbycaste,
politicalideology,communalidentities,consumermarketsandstruggleforsustenanceandlivelihoods. Therole
and impact of rights education and rights assertion are similarly affected by the social, political and market
environmentwomenaresituatedin. Theprocessofempowermenttoodependsonthesevariableswhichinfluence
women’slives. Thechallengehasbeeninensuringthatthedeliveryandcontentofrightseducationiscontextualized
andrelevantinthistrajectoryofwomen’slives.Asidefromthesecomplexities,theneoliberalpolicyframework
in India has created greater insecurities for previously marginalized sections of people and created further
disempowerment amongst certain women. The agrarian crisis, growing migrant populations, breakdown of
sustainablelivelihoodsandlimitedaccesstobasicstaterunwelfareschemeshavecreatedsituationsthatquestion
the very citizenship of these vulnerable groups. They are pushed farther away from claiming entitlements or
assertingrights.
Withtherecedingrolebeingplayedbythewelfarestateintheareasoffoodsecurity,naturalresourcemanagement
andtheentryandpredominanceof privateactorsandprofitmakinginpublicarenasofeducationandhealthcare,
the question arises as to who is the duty bearer of the rights of the poor and the most vulnerable in this country?
How still to ensure state accountability for the well being of its citizens given that the State has the primary
responsibilitytoproactively protecttherightsofallcitizens.
The Indian women’s movement has sought and secured new legislations to address women’s rights issues,
specificallyVAW.Successfullegislativeadvocacyhasresultedinlegislationsfordowry,domesticviolence,sexual
harassment and now even a civil law for domestic violence. However, required structural changes, budgetary
allocationsandotherpracticalconsiderationsthatmakeorbreaktheeffectiveimplementationofanylawhasnot
beenscrutinizedwithinthewomen’smovement’scampaignsandanalysis.Socialauditsandgenderanalysesof
implementing agencies have not been initiated either by the State or by the women’s movement. In Karnataka
specifically, there also seems to be an absence of a larger policy vision for women. VAW has increased many
folds due to macro socio economic changes, but this still does not reflect in the State’s policy frameworks. For
instance,overthelastsevenyearstherehasbeenaspateofacidattacksonwomen.Despiteafactfindingreport
by Campaign and StruggleAgainstAcidAttacks onWomen (CSAAAW) no medical facilities to treat burn or
acid victims have been set up at the district and taluk levels.
HHS’ recent work on VAW and the need for the study
In Karnataka, there has been an emergence of women’s federations in the last eight years. These federations
have been able to act as forums for women to raise issues of social justice. Over the past four years, HHS has
INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
beenworkingcloselywithsomeofthesefederations2
thatarefocusedonwomen’srightsissues.Ourengagement
with the federations has been to build their capacities on issues ofVAW. The capacity building programs for
women’sfederation’shasfocusedonequippingthemwithgenderrightsperspectivesandlegalinformationthat
wouldaidthemtoassistwomenfacingviolence. Acknowledgingtherealitythatnotallwomenfacingviolence
wanttogotocourts,thefederationsusetheknowledgeofrightsandlegalprovisionstobargainandnegotiatefor
women’srightswithinfamiliesandcommunities.
Whileitiscriticaltobuildcapacitiesofthefederation’stoworkonVAWissues,itisimportanttomakesystems
thataffectanddirectlycontrolwomen’slives,respondadequatelytotheneedsofwomen.HHS’experiencehas
shownthatoftenwherewomenhavebeenabletoarticulateanddemandtheirrights,institutionssuchasthefamily
and State have failed to respond to their needs or pushed them back to gender stereotypes.
During our course of work with federations and the lawyers3
in various districts of Karnataka, we have closely
interacted with supportive structures set up for women facing violence. These women are referred to short stay
homes, counselling services, legal counselling and legal aid. Often, these services are either unavailable or are
poor quality. It is infrequent to find services that adequately address women needs. For example in most of the
shelter homes, we observed burn victims of violence and HIV+ women disallowed admissions due to social
stigmaormedicalattentionrequired.Wheretheywereadmitted,theyfaceddiscrimination.
Toproviderelieftowomeninsituationsofdomesticviolence,theProtectionofWomenfromDomesticViolence
Act (PWDVA) 2005 came into existence in October 2006. PWDVAis a unique law that expands the meaning
ofdomesticviolencetoincludeverbal,economical,sexualandphysicalviolenceandalsoprovidescivilremedies
and relief to women facing violence.TheAct also introduces new actors such as protection officers and service
providers to help women access justice.Adrawback within PWDVAis the assumption that certain support
structures would be in place for the women to get relief under thisAct.
GivenHHS’experienceofworkinginvariouspartsofthestatewewereconcernedaboutthewaythisActwould
beenactedinKarnataka.Sinceitsinception,HHShasbeencloselyinvolvedinensuringtheimplementationof
theAct along with other women’s rights groups. In our representations to the Government, we have raised the
importanceofproperstructuralsupportfortheActtobemeaningfullyimplemented.Acriticalchallengetothis
hasbeeninthepoorbudgetaryallocationtoimplementtheAct.Thisisalsoillustrativeoftheinherentbiasagainst
women,ashasbeenillustratedintheGenderDevelopmentIndex4
(GDI).Whilethebudgetaryallocationwithin
theDepartmentofWomenandChildDevelopment(DWCD)forchildrenis97.3%,itisamere2.7%forwomen
in the present (11th
) five year plan.
This was the context that necessitated the need for a study by HHS on State run support services for women in
Karnataka. Our enquiry focuses on the quality, accessibility and approach of services offered by the DWCD
1
Federations are larger bodies, with representatives from all affiliated women’s sanghas/SHG’s federated at the level of the
taluk, district and the state
2
HHS in partnership with Global rights, India offered a Lawyers Fellowship Programme for young lawyers in 14 districts in
Karnataka to take up gender sensitive, human rights lawyering in year 2005-07
3
Gender development Index (GDI): GDI is a composite indicator of gender equality, developed by the United Nations (UN).
It aims to show inequalities between men and women in the following areas: long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent
standard of living.

and the Central/State social welfare board for women in distress. These departments have various schemes for
womenandchildren.Amongsttheseschemessupportservicesforwomenfacingviolenceoccupiesamajorpart.
Reception centres, short stay homes, swadhar homes, santwana kendras and family counselling centres were
started by the state and central governments to address the needs of women. Some of these schemes are central
governmentschemeswhileothersareStategovernmentschemes.Wehavechosentofocusontheseservicesas
theyarethefirstpointofcontact,outsidethefamilyandcommunity,formostwomen.
The Study
WithHHS’experienceofinteractingwithvarioussupportservicesforwomenfacingviolenceinKarnataka,we
decidedtosystematicallyenquireintogovernmentrunresidentialandcounsellingservicesrunbyvariousinstitutions
and actors. Some of the questions we began with were:
• Whatkindofhelpwomenfacingviolenceseekfromthesecenters?
• How accessible are these centres for women who are in need of help?
• What is the quality of the services offered at these State run or funded centres?
• What do these schemes aim to achieve and what is the ground reality?
• What is the role of the State and the institutions that run these centres?
• What are the experiences of women who receive help from these centres?
• Whataretheissuesforthestaffandheadofinstitutionsinrunningthesecentres?
We believe that this study will contribute towards understanding the potential as well as identifying gaps in the
efforts of these service centres in helping women in crisis. The data that emerges from the study will feed into
advocatingpolicychangesthatbenefitwomenacrossthecountry.
INTRODUCTION

2
AnanalysisofthesituationofviolenceagainstwomeninKarnataka,asinmostotherparts,indicatesthatviolence
has assumed new forms and the existing forms sometimes assume a new intensity. More insidious are the
instances of violence that women face in the home, from the family and from violent spouses, brothers, fathers
andothermalerelatives.
Usingthetoolofhumandevelopmentinrecenttimeshashelpedusunderstandthenatureofgendersubordination.
The Karnataka Human Development Report 2005 (KHDR 2005) observes that ‘human development cannot
occur in an environment that is vitiated by violence. Women, who are caught up in an environment of
violence, or even the threat of violence, find it constrains their mobility, their autonomy and sense of
self’5
’.
Thereportalso notes that there is likely to be greater improvement in women’s status when their literacy levels
rise. The low literacy rate in Karnataka is a visible manifestation of gender bias, which refuses to acknowledge
women’s inherent right to education. Caste, class and geographical factors are other sources of inequity that
shape female literacy levels. This becomes evident when the inter-district performance in female literacy is
analysed. The highest female literacy rates are to be found in Bangalore Urban (77.48), Dakshina Kannada
(77.21), and Udupi (75.19) districts. The lowest rates are in Raichur (35.93), Gulbarga (37.90) and Koppal
(39.61) which are geographically contiguous and share the same socio-economic characteristics of
underdevelopment,
An important indicator of the status of women is the negative sex ratio. We are aware that in a progressive
societywherehumandevelopmentindicesarehigh,thenumberofwomenperthousandmalesisalwayshigher.
But in India, the number of women is consistently lesser for every 1000 males.As per the 2001 census, theAll-
India figures stood at 933 per 1000; while in Karnataka, it was 965 per 1000 males. This is the lowest sex ratio
women amongst all four Southern states6
. Even the child sex ratio is low in Karnataka 946 females per 1000
males,whichmakesittheworstaffectedSouthernstateafterTamilNadu.(SeeTablesinAnnexureattheendof
VIOLENCEAGAINST WOMEN IN KARNATAKA-
AN OVERVIEWCHAPTER
1
Karnataka Human Development Report 2005, p.183
2
ibid ., p.181,
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN KARNATAKA- AN OVERVIEW

8
Report by Campaign and Struggle Against Acid Attacks on Women(CSAAAW) 2007
9
Indian Human Rights Report 2009, Asian Centre for Human Rights p 103
10
The Changing Face of Dowry, The Hindu, June 8, 2009
11
We have not analysed data for 2009 since the data available is only that collected upto August 2009
this chapter for details of sex ratio and child sex ratio). The KHDR 2005 also points out a significant trend
which shows no co-relation between districts with high income and education rates, such as Mandya and
Dakshina Kannada and an equitable child sex ratio. In both these districts, there has been a decline in the
child sex ratio 7
.
Amajorreasonforthisskewedchildsexratiohasbeensexselectiveabortionsandinfanticide.Researchersand
policy makers have identified two major ways in which sex selection takes place. Often this is through the
outrightpracticeofinfanticideandtheotheristhroughsexselectiveabortionsthroughuseoftechniquessuchas
scanning to detect the sex of the child. The KHDR 2005 also notes that higher incomes mean greater access to
sexdeterminationtechnology. DespiteexistingenactmentsuchasthePre-NatalDiagnosticTechniques(Regulation
and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994, sex selective abortion remains a critical problem given the lack of
effectiveimplementationofthelaw.
During the last year, Karnataka was in the news for all the wrong reasons – the pub attacks on women in
Mangalore and even in the capital city Bangalore were carried out by rightist vigilante groups on women for
‘immoral behavior and dressing’. The attacks also had communal roots; Hindus were forbidden from
associating with Muslims. These are the more public forms of policing to keep women “in their place”.
These attacks vitiated the atmosphere, curbing women’s mobility and expression and violating their
constitutional rights.
Forsometimenow,theissueofacidattacksonwomenhasengagedseveralwomen’srightsgroupsinthestate.
The Campaign and Struggle againstAcidAttacks on Women (CSAAAW) lists the cases of 65 women across
class and caste attacked with acid in the state since 1999. Nine of these women have died8
.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) recorded a total of 6569 incidents of crime against women in
Karnataka during 2007. These included 463 rapes, 390 kidnapping and abduction, 251 dowry deaths, among
others. The NCRB recorded 266 crimes against children, including 50 cases of murder and 84 cases of rape,
duringthesameperiod9
.ThesituationisnotparticularlyencouragingeveninthecapitalcityofBangalore.“Though
the Dowry Prohibition Act is often perceived as “stringent”, Bangalore City Crime Record Bureau data
indicates that it has hardly proved to be a deterrent. Up till April 2009, 18 dowry death cases have been
registered already in Bangalore. The figures for 2008 and 2007 stood at 51 and 54. As many as seven
cases of women being burnt for dowry were reported in 2007 and the number more than doubled in 2008
with 16. Cases of dowry harassment have also steadily gone up from 290 in 2007 to 307 in 2008 and 121
till April in 2009"10
.
The trends visible in the district wise data for 2008 generated by the State Crimes Record Bureau (SCRB)11
shows that Bangalore City has the highest figures for crimes against women in the state. In most category of
crimes against women, such as rape, molestation and murder by other means, apart from burning for dowry,
Bangalore City records the highest figures ( 49 out of 415, 69 out of 469) and the Northern Karnataka districts

such as Bijapur, Gulbarga, Koppal and Raichur show comparatively low figures. According to these figures,
thereare417casesregisteredunderkidnappingandabduction,whileBangaloreCityhasrecorded31,Gulbarga
andRaichurshow18and23respectivelyandthatChikkamagalurandDharwadandKoppalhaveregistered43
and31eachrespectively. Furtheranalysiswillberequiredtounderstandthelinkbetweenthekidnappingcases
and instances where women have been trafficked. The KHDR 2005 observes that Raichur district has the
highest incidence of trafficking in women and children12
. Overall, it is observed that under many categories of
crimessuchasmolestation,kidnapping,eve-teasing,dowrydeathsbymeansotherthanburning,Chikkamagalur
District shows quite a high rate of cases registered.
While data generated by the NCRB and the SCRB are useful tools, they may not represent the true situation
of crimes against women. Only reported cases that have been registered as First Information Reports (FIRs)
in police station account for this data. However, the reality remains that for many affected women, access to
institutions like the police is difficult. HHS’ study too has illustrated the difficulty that women living in remote
districts have in getting access to the nearest police station or crisis management centre. Given that there is
also very little attempt to demystify or make user friendly these institutions which are based on power and
patriarchal norms, women are often fearful of even approaching the police. The key findings of a police study
made prior to 2001 were the following: very few cases related to women and children were actually registered;
‘counselling’ was often seen as a substitute for registration; the prevalent attitude of most officers was to
minimise the incidence of violence and to deny the right of the complainant to seek justice; while many police
personnel were more sympathetic towards children’s issues, their responses to women were traditional and
patriarchal; violence against women and children was not seen as part of the `mainstream’ activities of the
local police station, but were often referred to the women’s police station; the limited powers of the women
police stations as well as the abdication of responsibility by the system overall led to further injustice to
complainants13
. Another reason for under reporting could be women choose not to complain at a police
station and prefer instead to approach a suitable crisis intervention centre or resort to some other means of
coping.
Studies done by groups like Vimochana14
reveal that there are three categories of crimes; dowry murders,
suicides and accidents (these include stove bursts and kitchen accidents) which if put together constitute a
disturbinglyhighnumberofcrimesagainstwomen,particularlyyoungwomen. Itwasfoundthatmanyofthese
crimeshadbeenregisteredunderthe“UnnaturalDeathsRegister”inpolicestationsdeflectingfromthegender
specificityofthecrime.Almostallthesecasesofdeathofthewomenwererelatedtodowrydemandsandcruelty
within the marital home. The KDHR 2005 further observes that if official figures on dowry-related crimes,
including murder and attempt to murder (under Sections 302, 307 and 304-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
areaddedtofiguresoncrueltybyhusbandandrelativesofhusband(Section498-AIPC),itismorethanevident
thatforlargenumbersofmarriedwomen,therighttoliveinsafety,evenwithintheirownhomes,andinaclimate
freefromintimidationandviolence,isnotavailable.
12
Jayasri Alladi, The Hindu, 2 May 2007
13
Jayasri Alladi, The Hindu 2 May 2007
14
Karnataka Human Development Report, 2005 p 185, 186

15
Centre for Women and Law, NLSIU 1999
16
Rao et al, 1999
17
Karnataka Human Development Report 2005, p.189
18
The Hindu, September 9,2007
19
Jayasri Alladi, The Hindu 2 May 2007
20
http://www.mapsofindia.com/karnataka/government-politics/police.html
Responses from the State and civil society
The Law Enforcement System
ThejudiciaryinKarnatakahasnotbeenparticularlyresponsivetotheneedsofwomenlitigants.StudiesbytheNational
LawSchoolofIndiaUniversity15
andHHS16
pointtotheweaknessoftheformaljusticesysteminredressingviolence
againstwomen17
.Aseriouschallengeisthelowconvictionrateforcrimesagainstwomenwhichposesaserious
concernabouttheapathyaccordedtowomen’ssafetywithintheState.Arevealingindicatorliesinthefactthattheall
Indiafiguresfortherateofconviction formolestationstandsat30.7percentwhileinKarnatakaitisanabysmal6.2
percent.Similarly,withrape,whiletheallIndiarateofconvictionis27%forKarnataka,itisjust15%.
TheseriousnessoftheproblemwasalsounderlinedinastudyconductedbyFlaviaAgnes18
in2007whichfound
thattheninefamilycourtsinKarnataka,particularlythethreeinBangalore,areoverburdenedwithaheavycase-
load and backlog. There is an urgent need to set up additional courts for speedy disposal of cases.
Government
Police Reform:
TherehavebeensomeuniqueeffortslaunchedbytheStateGovernmenttomainstreamgenderconcernsfromwithin
thepoliceforce. TheGenderSensitisationandPeople-friendlyPoliceprojectwaslaunchedinpartnershipwithUNICEF
in200119
.Theprojectteachespolicementodealwithcasesrelatingtoviolenceagainstwomenandchildren.
By December 2006, over 2,800 police personnel had been trained in workshops, including 327 probationary
sub-inspectors, and 754 probationary constables. The State has approximately 75,000 police personnel and
809policestations.AllpolicestationsinBangalorecitynowhaveatleastonetrainedpersontohandleanddeal
withcasesrelatingtoviolenceagainstwomenandchildren.Thisprojectisyettobereviewedanditremainstobe
seenhoweffectivethisisincurbingpolicebiasandoverallreductionincrimesagainstwomen.
Thereare10AllWomenPoliceStationsoutofthe806policestationsintheState.20
Consideringthatwomenfeel
constrained to approach the police in general, the presence of a greater number ofAll-Women Police Stations
withspeciallytrainedpersonnelandtherightattitudescouldhelpmakeadifferencetotheoverallregistrationof
crimesagainstwomen.
Panchayati Raj Institutions:
AsfarasPanchayatiRajinstitutionsareconcerned,Karnatakahasthedistinctionofbeingoneofthefirststates,
alongwithWestBengaltointroducelocalgovernanceatthevillagelevelthroughthePanchayatiRajActof1993.

Italsobroughtintheprovisionofatleast33percentreservationforwomenintheseinstitutions. Evenpriortothe
passing of the 73rd
and 74th
Amendments to the Constitution, about 14,000 women had entered panchayats in
1987.
The State has exceeded the 33 per cent mark and has started inching towards the target set now.Women won
43.7percentofseatsingrampanchayats,41.2percentintalukpanchayatsand37.1percentinzillapanchayats
intheelectionsheldin200521
.CommitteessuchastheSocialJusticeCommitteewithinpanchayatshavehelped
addressissuesofcasteandgenderviolenceatthevillageandtaluklevels.Thus,thepresenceofsomanywomen
in elected accountable bodies represents an important opportunity to address the question of violence against
womenthroughpreventive,ameliorativeandremedialmeasures.
Karnataka State Women’s Commission:
The Karnataka State Women’s Commission was constituted on 12th
August, 1996 and it consists of 6 non-
officialmembersand3ex-officiomembers22
.ThefunctionsoftheCommissionare:-
i) TopresentreportsandrecommendationstotheGovernmentforimprovingtheconditionsofwomen.
ii) Toreviewtheexistingprovisionsoftheconstitutionaffectingthewomen
iii) Toconductstudiesofinvestigationintospecificproblemsofwomen
iv) To look into complaints and take suo-moto notice of matter relating to women’s rights.
v) ToinvolvevoluntaryorganizationsbesidesGovernmentaldepartmentsindischargingitsfunction.
vi) To conductAdalats and LegalAwareness Programmes.
The Commission has been playing an active role in ensuring that the human rights of women are protected.
However, it is unfortunate that since October 2007, there has been no person heading the Commission, neither
does it have members. The conduct of the Commisison is being carried out currently by a Member Secretary
whoisaKarnatakaAdministrativeServicesofficer.
Karnataka State Human Rights Commission:
TheKarnatakaStateHumanRightsCommissioncameintoexistencein2007underthechairmanshipofMr.S.
R. Nayak. The work of the Commission which receives 60-70 applications every day has been marred by the
absence of basic infrastructure such as office space.
Services:
TheStateGovernmenthasbeenengagedintheprovisionofservicesforwomenandchildrenthroughtheCentral
SocialWelfareBoardandtheDepartmentofWomenandChildDevelopment. Avarietyofresidential,counseling
and rehabilitation services, including short stay and shelter homes are run through the above agencies. The
performance and efficacy of these institutions is the subject matter of this study and this is discussed in greater
detailintheensuingchapters.
21
The Hindu August 30, 2009
22
http://164.100.24.208/ls/committeeR/Empowerment/Annexure.htm

State serState serState serState serState services for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Kvices for women in crisis in Karararararnataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A studynataka: A study 1 01 01 01 01 0
Non Governmental Initiatives
Karnatakahashadalonghistoryofautonomouswomen’sgroups,humanrightsandcivilrightsgroupsworking
intheareaofwomen’srightsforwelloverthirtyyears.Thestatehashadthebenefitofvariouswomen’sgroups
workingoncrisisinterventioncentres,womenworkersrights,dalitwomenfederations,Devadasiwomenrights
and addressing livelihood issues of women. Vimochana andWomen’sVoice, women’s groups which began in
theseventieshavetirelesslyworkedandoffered;counselingandcrisisinterventionandmobilizedwomenworkers
andengagedwiththemediaandvarioussystemslikethegovernmentandthepolicefromafeministstandpoint.
Magazines such as Manansa andAchala have, for more than two decades exclusively focused on a range of
issueseffectingwomen’srightsfromafeministlocation.
Women’s groups in Karnataka have actively joined national level campaigns for amendments to the rape law,
dowry,domesticviolenceandtheissueoftrafficking. Theyhavealsoworkedforamoredynamicengagement
withcourtsandlawenforcementagencies.
Promoted by community based organisations and larger developmental agendas, SHG’s which have federated
intolargerbodiesatdistrictandtaluklevelshavebroughtwomenintopubliclifeandtogovernpublicorganizations
likefederations.Women’sfederationsinNorthKarnatakahavefoughtforrightfulwages,livelihoodsandissues
of migration and trafficking of women. Dalit women’s federations have sought to bring to light caste based
atrocities and the issue of land rights into the foreground, still others like the federation of elected women
representatives(EWR)ofthepanchayatshavefocusedonbuildingacohesivevoiceoftheEWR’sandbuilding
theircapacitiestohandlenewresponsibilitiesaspanchayatleaders. Thesehavegivenvoicetowomen’saspirations
andhighlighteddifferentsocialjusticeissuesfromvariouspartofthestate.
Intherecentyearsverypoorlabourstandardsingarmentindustriesemployingwomeninlargenumbershasseen
organizationsmobilizingworkersintounionsandassociationstofightforlawfulworkingconditionsandwages.
AlsoissuessuchasacidattacksonwomenweretakenupbyacoalitionoforganisationsunderthebannerofThe
Campaign and Struggle againstAcidAttacks onWomen (CSAAAW).
TheStatehasalsowitnessedincreasingcommunalizationofsocietybytherightwingforcewhichspawnedmany
protests, debates and discussions on women’s rights and cultural spaces. Several campaigns and advocacy
initiativescharacterisethewomen’smovementwithinKarnatakaandhaseffectivelymadeitareliable,creative
and effective space to address human rights of women.

3
This study on State run and funded support services for women facing violence focused on understanding the
original aim and vision of these services as enunciated in the policy, critique of the policy from a gender rights
perspective and the current reality in the implementation of the same services. The effort has been to identify
existinggapsintheservicesandpotentialareasofimprovementthroughthegatheringofdata.
Objectives of the study
• AssessthequalityoftheexistingStatefundedandStateruncounsellingandresidentialservices:Examine
issuesofinstitutionalcapacitytoruntheseservices.Enquireintoqualityofservicesintermsofhuman
resources,infrastructureandbudgetaryallocationstoachievetheaimslistedinthescheme.Acritique
oftheschemedocument.
• Examineaccessibilityoftheseservicesforwomeninneed:Enquireintothegeographicalspread,availability
andissuesofproximitytowomeninbothurbanandruralpartsofKarnataka.Enquireintothephysical
location and features of the space where services are run.
• Enquireintosystemsofmonitoringandreviewmechanismsinplacetoensureeffectivefunctioningof
services.
• Examinetheabilityofservicestonetworkwithothersupportsystemstoprovidereferralsforwomenclients.
Scope of the Study
Thestudylooksatservicesavailabletowomenfacingallformsofviolence.Amajorsegmentofourstudyfocuses
onsupportservicesrunbyNonGovernmentalOrganisations(NGO’s)withthefinancialsupportorincollaboration
with the Government. The study also looks at services that are solely run by the State.
The aforesaid services have been broadly categorised as-
i) Statefundedcounsellingservices:RunthroughNGOswithfinancialsupportfromtheGovernment
ii) Statefundedresidentialservices:RunthroughNGOswithfinancialsupportfromtheGovernment
iii) Staterunresidentialservices:ExclusivelymanagedandrunbytheGovernment
METHODOLOGYCHAPTER
METHODOLOGY

Primary Data Collection Process:
1. Defining the research sample
Elevendistrictswereidentifiedasthesample.ThiswasbasedontheGDIfromtheKarnatakaHumanDevelopment
Report of 2005 where the 27 districts (two more districts were added to the State later) have been graded as per
theirperformance.Performancewasdecidedoncriteriasuchasliteracyrate,ageofmarriage,immunisationand
overall population in the district amongst others. Hence, we chose two districts (Dakshina Kannada and Uttara
Kannada) fromsixofthehighperformancedistricts ,fivedistricts(Bangaloreurban,Belgaum,Haveri,Kolar,
Mysore)outofthirteenaverageperformancedistrictsandfourdistricts(Bijapur,Bellary,Davangere,Bagalkot)
out of the eight poor performance districts as the sample.Apart from performance as a criteria, other criteria
usedweregeographicallocation.FourdistrictsfromNorth(Bagalkot,Belgaum,BellaryandBijapur),twofrom
Central region (Haveri, Davangere), three from south (Bangalore, Kolar, Mysore) and two from the coastal
region (Dakshina and Uttara Kannada) of the State were selected.
In the next stage, services were selected to be part of the sample from the list provided by the DWCD and the
SocialWelfare Board for the year 2007-08 in each of the identified districts. In each of the districts two centres
under each category of service and preferably placed in different taluks was sought to be studied. There were
some districts that had less than two or where services were unavailable or clustered in one taluk. In such cases
we studied services that were available under each category in the sample districts.
Table 1: Total Number of Services (2007-2008) in Sample Districts and Sample Size
Districts
Totalno
of
Santwana
Sample
Total
no of
FCC
Sample
Total no
of
Swadhar
Centres
Sample
Total no
of
SSH
Sample
Total no
of
Recep-
tion
Centres
Sam-
ple
METHODOLOGY
B’lore –U 2 2 9 2 2 1 6 2 1 1
Dakshina 2 2 2 2 1 0 1 1 1 1
Kannada
Belgaum 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 0
Uttara 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
Kannada
Kolar 1 1 3 1 0 0 1 1 1 1
Mysore 5 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0
Davangere 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0
Bagalkot 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
Bijapur 3 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 1
Bellary 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
Haveri 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 2 0 0
Total 25 16 24 16 8 6 15 10 5 5
Total no of
services in 70 31 17 27 10
Karnataka
in2007-08

METHODOLOGY
SAMPLE: SERVICES AND DISTRICTS
* Presence of more than one service in a district is indicated with a number on the right

SPREAD: SERVICES IN KARNATAKA
2007-2008
*Presence of more than one service in a district is indicated with a number on the right
METHODOLOGY

2. Preparation of Questionnaires
HHS conceptualized the major areas of enquiry and identified the principal research questions. Feminist
researchers contributed towards the research design and methodology. Consultations were held to fine tune
questions as we progressed into the project. Once the final questionnaire was produces it was translated into
Kannada.
3. Identification and Orientation of Data Collectors
After debating the advisability of appointing a centralized research team, we felt it was important to select
researcherswithsomeknowledgeoftherespectivedistricts.Themainreasonforthiswastoensurethatfamiliarity
and knowledge of existing government and administrative networks would make it simpler to elicit reliable
information.Theselectedresearcherswerelocatedfromsampleorneighboringdistricts.Thefinalteamcomprising
ofeightresearchersselectedwasacombinationoffellowshiplawyers23
thatHHShadworkedwithandactivists
withwomen’srightsNGOsinthedistricts.
Most data collectors have taken at least two visits and 4-5 hours in each visit to administer questionnaires.
AnorientationworkshopwasheldinBangaloreforthedatacollectors.Therationaleforthestudyandquestionnaire
wereexplainedindetail.Amockexerciseinadministeringthequestionnaireswasheldanddoubtsclarified. Data
collectors were in constant touch with us through the period of data collection to clarify areas of doubt.
4. Data Collection
The data for the study was collected both through primary and secondary sources:
Primarydata:
Primarydatacollection:
• Astructuredquestionnaire administeredtopersonnel(suchassuperintendentsandcounsellors)at
thecrisisinterventioninstitutions,
• Exitinterviewsofwomenusing services
• Interviews of support services used by these institutions such as legal services authority, police
stationsandgovernmenthealthcentres.
• Formal discussions with representatives of DWCD and the SocialWelfare Boards responsible for
therespectiveschemes/services.
Secondarydatacollection:
• FromtheDWCDandsocialwelfareboard: Spreadofinstitutions,allocations,monitoringformats
and reports, budgetary allocations and scheme details, policies and pertinent government orders
relatingtothegovernanceoftheschemes.
• Fromcrisisinterventioninstitutions: Publicitymaterials,progressreports,auditedstatements,records
of cases that the respective have maintained
• Opinions of NGOs and community based organisations in the districts who have used services
23
Refer foot note 3
METHODOLOGY

Research Methodology
1. Questionnaire
.The Santwanas and Family Counselling Centres are the State funded counselling services, Short Stay Homes
and Swadhars are the State funded residential services and State homes and Reception centres are State run
residentialservices. QuestionnairesweredesignedseparatelyforStatefundedcounsellingservices,Statefunded
residentialservicesandStaterunresidentialservices.
FortheStatefundedcounsellingservices,aquestionnairewasdesignedwithtwosections.Firstpart,forheadof
theinstitutionrunningthecentresandsecondpart,forthecounsellorsthemselves.Inadditiontothis,therewere
checklists for police, legal services authority, protection officers, health services/doctors and data collectors
whichthedatacollectorsusedtogatherinformation.Thechecklistswereusedtogatherinformationfromagencies
withwhomthecounsellingcentreswereexpectedtobuildnetworksandrefertoinprovidingoverallsupportto
women.Lastlytherewereexitinterviewquestionnairesfortwowomenwhohadavailedoftheservices.
Similarly, there were two sections in the main questionnaire for State funded residential services.The first part
wasfortheheadoftheinstitutionrunningtheshelterhomesandthesecondpartforthesupervisor/superintendent
who is responsible for the day to day functioning of the home. In addition two residents at each service were
interviewed and a checklist for data collectors to record observations was part of the questionnaire.
UnliketheStatefundedservices,theStaterunserviceshadonlyonesectioninthemainquestionnairesincethese
services are solely managed and run by the State. However, the other parts of the questionnaire were similar to
State funded residential services with a questionnaire for two residents and a checklist for the data collectors to
record their observations.
AseparatequestionnairewaspreparedforNGO’sandcommunitybasedorganisationsthatusetheseservicesto
collatetheiropinionsonthequalityandaccessibilityoftheseservices. Sixteenorganisationswereinterviewedin
thesampledistricts.
METHODOLOGY
Table 2
Number of exit/ resident interviews and interviews based on
checklists covered under each service
Doctors checklist 11 12 - - - -
Police checklist 15 13 - - - -
Legal ServicesAuthority 8 11 - - - -
checklist
Protection Officer 11 13 - - - -
checklist
Data Collector's 16 16 6 11 5 5
checklist
Exit/ resident Interviews 20 28 11 19 9 9
Family
Counseling
Centre
Santwana Swadhar
Short Stay
Home
Reception
Centre StateHome

2. Participant Observations
Datacollectorswereassignedthetaskofdocumentingsignificantobservationsduringthecollectionofdata. These
observationshavebeenrecordedinseparatesectionsofvariousquestionnaires. Theobservationsmaderangedona
varietyofissuesincludingthequalityoffoodandphysicalamenitiesatthevariousservices. Theseobservationsform
arichsourceofinformationandhaveoftenservedtohighlightinferencesthatmayhaveotherwiseescapedattention.
3. Case Studies
Itwasfeltthatnarrativesofwomenthroughcasestudieswouldaddrichnesstothestudyandthereforefewcase
studies were recorded. These were selected both on the basis of geographical spread and range of institutions.
Challenges and Limitations
1.Problematicaccesstovalidinformation:
Amajorchallengewasaccessingcrucialdocumentsneededforthestudy,suchas,theschemedocument,monitoring
reports and budgetary allocations with details of a break up of sub-heads. For example, we found that some of
the schemes provided to us by the DWCD were older versions, while the DWCD website carried the latest
version. Sourcing the correct and most updated version of schemes delayed the process. This holds true for
other documents as well such as monitoring reports and budgetary allocations. In a given year there were two
and sometimes three lists those of organisations that were allotted the Santwana or Swadhar, those that were
actuallyfunded,thosethatwerediscontinuedfunding. Someoftheorganisationswhichwerestuckoffthelistof
theDWCDwerestillwaitingforfundstoarrive.Insomeinstanceswhenthesamplingwasbasedoninitiallistswe
have interviewed some organisations that the DWCD or the social welfare board had discontinued funding.
Furtherstaffwhowereourpointofcontactandwhowehadestablishedarapportwouldchangeduetotransfers
and this would mean we would have to start from scratch the process of obtaining information and there would
be a different version of information available. This created a handicap to the research in terms of our analysis.
For example, as we have not been able to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the monitoring patterns, or of
institutionalperformancethroughstudyingfinancialallocations. WithrespecttoSwadharhomes,thedocuments
we got from the DWCD do not mention how many Swadhars have been funded in each district and the total
numberofSwadharsintheState. Thelackofinformationorincompleteinformationitselfhasbecomepartofthe
analysisinthisresearchandisindicativeofthedifficultieswithobtaininginformationfromthebureaucracyand
how these services are being run.
DespiteinvokingtheprovisionoftheRighttoInformationActthroughapplications,inmanyinstances,wehave
onlybeenabletoobtainpiecemealandpartialinformation.Delaysinobtainingrelevantinformationhasimpacted
ontimedeadlinesconsiderably.
2. Data Collectors:
Data collectors have sometimes not been able to complete their work within the planned time period. This has
set back deadlines considerably since we then had to resort to alternative means to collect data.
METHODOLOGY

3. ConnotationsandMeanings:
Inthecontextofenquiringintoissuesaroundcrisisinterventionwithwomenfacingviolence,peoplewhoofferas
wellasreceivetheseservicesfrequentlyusecertainwordssuchas“counselling”orraaji(aterminKannadathat
couldmean outofcourtsettlement,compromiseorreconciliation). Thishasresultedinresponsestoquestions
regardingtheseissuesbeinginterpretedanddecodedinwaysthataredivergentfromwhatthequestionoriginally
intendedtoenquireinto.Wewereunabletoremainincontrolofthesituationinthefieldandofensuringthatdata
collectors conveyed such questions in the same that we intended.
4. Case studies:
It was not possible to get case studies representing a geographical spread and range of institutions.
Developments that impacted the Study
There are several developments that have occurred during the period of the study, following the data collection
and during the data analysis. Information about these developments has emerged during the course of several
meetingswiththerepresentativesoftheconcerneddepartments.Thesedevelopmentsareimportantsincesome
areasareadeparturefromtheoriginalinformationalreadygatheredandhaveimplicationsonthefindings. Such
developments are included here in a separate section.
• Honorariums- Honorariums for counsellors and social workers of Santwanas’ were hiked during the
study period. Counsellors honorariums have been increased from Rs.4,500 to Rs. 6,000 per month and
social workers honorariums have been increased to Rs.3,000 from Rs. 1,500 per month.
• 24 hour helpline- Circulars have been sent to all the Santwanas to keep the centres open 24 hours a day.
Amale social worker is in the centre to receive calls on the toll free helpline. Earlier, the centres were
open between 8 a.m and 8 p.m.
• Numbers of centres- When the study began, there were 69 Santwana centres in the State. Currently,
105 centres have been sanctioned in the State.As per the information given by the DWCD, all centres
are not functional yet. There are centres in the district headquarters and in some of the taluks. There is a
proposal to cover all the taluks and thus have one centre each in all the taluks of the State.
• Closureofcentrethatwasincludedintheresearch-OneoftheSantwanasclosedafteritreceivednotice
torunthecentrefor24hours.Aprimaryreasongivenfortheclosurewasthattheycouldnotfindamale
caseworkertoworkinthenightfortheexistingmeagerhonorarium.Theinstitutionwouldhavelikedthe
staff that lived on campus to be available to women anytime of the day or night. Hence, the institution
wanted to use the same staff and keep the centre open. However, the DWCD was not open to using the
same staff for the Santwana.
• Tollfreenumbers-Familycounsellingcentresdidnothavetollfreenumbersduringthedatacollection
period. Recently, however they have allotted a five digit toll free number to the centres.
METHODOLOGY

4
State Funded Counselling centres
Family Counseling Centre (FCC)
Scope andApproach
TheFamilyCounselingCentre(FCC)isanationalschemeofCentralSocialWelfareBoard,GovernmentofIndia.
In Karnataka, the Karnataka State SocialWelfareAdvisory Board is responsible for the scheme. Funds for this
schemearedisbursedbytheCentralSocialWelfareBoard.Thestatechapterimplementsandmonitorsthescheme.
Theschemeintendstoprovidesupportservicesnotjusttowomenindistressbutthewholefamilyandcommunity
if necessary.The scheme in its preamble states that the …‘FCC has been formulated to strengthen the social
fabric by preventing couples and families from breaking up and promoting harmony in families and in
society at large…The Scheme provides preventive, curative and rehabilitative services to victims of
atrocities and for other problems relating to individual, the family and community’
The scheme aims to:
• Provideprofessionalserviceslikecrisisintervention,investigationindowrydeathcasesandcounseling
forfamilymaladjustment.
• To make efforts for reconciliation in the cases of separation and out of court settlements in marital
discord cases.
• To provide referrals to shelter homes and police.
• To make counseling services available at short stay homes, remand homes, orphanages, drug de-
addiction centres, old age homes, shelter homes, prisons and schools for gifted children.
• Toeducateandmobilizepublicopinionagainstsocialproblems.
• Tocreateawarenessonsocialwelfareactivitiesaidedandundertakenbyvariousgovernmentandnon
government agencies for better coordination and service to people.
POLICYANALYSIS -
A CRITIQUE OF SERVICES STUDIEDCHAPTER
POLICY ANALYSIS - A CRITIQUE OF SERVICES STUDIED

• Toarrangesuitablerehabilitationservicesforvictimsandtheirdependents.
• To provide crisis intervention services to deal with any problem of the individual within the family,
workplaceorinthecommunity.
The scope of the scheme is wide, covering services to people in various contexts. It intends to provide welfare
measure to all kinds of ‘victims’. It, however, does not provide any details on implementation of these welfare
measures.Thereisalsonoanalysisofdiverseconflictsandconcernsthatariseoutaheterogeneous,hierarchical
societysuchasissuesregardingcaste,religion,resourcesandhowtheyimpactwomen.Eachcategoryofpeople
that the scheme addresses has diverse needs and services but there is an absence of any framework in locating
thesediverseproblems.ThissignificantoversightintheFCCschemeisstriking.
The scheme has an overarching thrust on welfare which includes issues within the family and community. It is
primarilybasedonthesanctityof‘family’as the primary unit within the community,which should be protected
at all costs. This importance to ‘family’ is often assumed, more than examined. The fundamental accent on
protecting the social fabric of community by preventing couples from separating, defines the central approach
of the scheme towards issues of violence within families. The scheme does not provide any analysis of gender
power equations or hierarchy that operates within families or other marginalization that occur within the
community.The scheme is also narrow in terms of its scope and mentions only dowry deaths. It does not raise
other issues within the family such as domestic violence, desertion, child sexual abuse, economic abuse or
property rights issues. Since the intention of the scheme is to ‘promote harmony in the family,’ one of the
objectives is to ‘make efforts for reconciliation in cases of separation and out of court settlement in
marital cases’. There is no mention of rights of the most vulnerable, in this case, women in the family. This
dominant and traditional notion of the ‘family’ often obscures and legitimates unequal power equations within
thefamilyanddoesnotprovidewomenlegitimaterecoursesagainstviolencethatoccurswithinfamilies. More
damaging is the fact that the scheme predominantly advises women to go back to families despite the violence
or discriminatory circumstancesshemaybein.
Criteria for selection of centres and implementation of the scheme
TheschemedefineseligibilityforinstitutionswhichwouldliketoapplytorunanFCC.
Theeligibilitycriteriaare:
• Theinstitutionshouldhaveengagedinsocialwelfareworkforaminimumofthreeyears.
• Should be open to all citizens of India without discrimination based on caste and creed.
• Managingcommitteeshouldbeproperlyconstitutedandhalfofthemshouldbewomen.
• Shouldhavefacilities,resources,personnel,managerialskillsandexperiencetoinitiatethescheme.
• Shouldbeinafinanciallysoundpositiontoraiseadditionalfunds.
While outlining the eligibility criteria, the scheme neglects to pay attention to the institutional capacity of the
organizationsthatapplyforFCC. Ithasnotadequatelyenvisageddetailsintermsofoperationalandinstitutional
requirements and human resources needed to meet the issues it aims to address.
The scheme expects the organization willing to run FCC to be ‘financially sound’. It states that there is no
schematic budget for the scheme as ‘this would deprive the voluntary organization of the flexibility that

may be required taking into consideration the local field condition’. It defines salaries for trained counselors
andbasicinfrastructuralsupportwhentheservicebecomesoperational.
TheschemealsomentionsoneorientationforthestaffthatjoinsFCCwithinsixmonthsoftheirrecruitment,to
prepare them for the work. It also lays out primary guidelines on how such a centre should be run, such as
documentationofcases. Themonitoringofthecentrewouldbemainlythroughasubcommitteethatistomeet
regularly to assess the functioning of the centre, as well as, two reports to be sent to the State Social Welfare
Advisory board.
Santwana
The Santwana scheme aims to address the needs of women facing violence such as sexual assault, dowry
harassment,anddomesticviolence.Itintendstoprovidecounseling,shorttermshelter,financialassistanceand
skill building for women facing violence. It is expected to provide a 24 hour helpline for women in crisis. The
DepartmentofWomenandChildDevelopment(DWCD)isprimarilyresponsiblefortheimplementationofthis
scheme.
TheschemementionsthattheSantwanahelplineswouldbesetupatNGO’salreadyrunningshelterhomesfor
women and at state run shelter homes. It also expects the centres to draw upon facilities already existing at
DWCDsuchasworkingwomen’shostelsandotherschemes.Forexample,theSantwanaisexpectedtousethe
vehicles of DWCD and police department if required.
The budget for a Santwana is estimated around Rs 3, 28, 500. This includes expenses for rent, telephone,
counselors, lawyers fees, financial aid for women facing violence and some support to run the short stay home.
The staff at the Santwana would comprise of three social workers and a counselor.As in scheme of FCC, this
scheme assumes the implementing organization to be equipped to handle all the excess expenditure regarding
travel expenses of the staff, infrastructure and other expenses that may arise.
Theschememainlyfocusesonprovidingcounselingandfinancialsupportforwomenfacingviolence.Providing
counseling,shelterandfinancialassistanceandskillbuildingrequiresseparateexpertise.However,thescheme
doesnotreflectanyoftheabove.Itisexpectedthattheorganizationwillhavetodrawhelpfromotherdepartments,
such as police department and women’s development corporation.
The scheme mentions that monthly reports have to be sent to the DWCD about the activities of the Santwanas.
It also states that a mandatory district level committee consisting of the Tahsildar, police and NGO members
is to be formed which would look into cases that come to Santwana centres as well as look into the functioning
of the Santwanas. Regular inspection is expected to be done by the authorities of DWCD in the prescribed
format.
State Funded Residential Services
Short Stay Homes for Women and Girls
This scheme offers short stay accommodation, medical and psychiatric assistance, vocational training and
rehabilitationforwomenandadolescentgirls.Thecategoriesofwomenandgirlsincludedinthisschemeare:

• Womenforcedintoprostitution.
• Womenwhohavelefttheirhomesonaccountofmaritaldisputesorfamilytensions.
• Womenwhohavebeensexuallyexploited.
• Victimsofmentalmal-adjustment,emotionaldisturbancesandsocialostracism.
The scheme mentions that girls in the age group of 15 to 35 yrs should be given preference. Women from
disadvantaged and under privileged groups are to be given importance to avail the scheme.
Scope andApproach
Themajorthrustoftheschemeistore-integratewomenintotheirfamilies.Forinstance,theschemehasrepeated
referenceto‘problemsofadjustment’facedbywomenandyounggirls.Thewordlike‘adjustment’automatically
places the responsibility on women for disputes in family or in marriage. This means a refusal to acknowledge
other factors/people that are responsible for the conflict.
Thedocumentalsotalksaboutthebreakdownofthejointfamilyasthereasonforwomenfacingproblems.The
dominant form of family is still seen as the joint family. However, in reality, there are several forms of families.
Specifically, there is a need to recognize women headed families, especially families consisting of separated or
deserted women, single women and women belonging to different age groups other than the reproductive age
group. Theschemedoesnotreflectthechangingnatureoffamily.
The scheme also intends to support women in ‘moral danger’. This refers to women who have faced sexual
assault as well as women who are in sex work or in any kind of sexual contact outside marriage. The language
usedintheschemeisindicativeofdominantandtraditionalmoralcodeswhicharepaternalisticinapproach.They
donotseewomanascapableofbeingindependentandproductivebeingsbutaspeoplethatneedtobeprotected,
controlledandwhohavenoagencyordesiretoliveacompletelifeinpursuitoftheirinterests.Thisisespecially
true for women who have been unfortunate enough to lose the shield of ‘family’ to protect them, despite the
familybeingtheverycauseforherdestitution.
Giventhattheschemecoverswomenfacingdiverseproblems,thenatureofsupportrequiredisalsovaried.However,
apartfromparttimemedicalandpsychiatrichelp,nootherassistanceisenvisaged.Asanexample,rehabilitationofa
womanwithphysicalormentaldisabilitieswillrequiredifferenteffortsandexpertisethantherehabilitationofawoman
whoisofsoundmentalandphysicalhealth. Thisdiversityinthenatureofcasesisnotaddressedinthescheme.
The scheme offers temporary stay at the short stay home from 6 months to 3 years. It also states that prolonged
stayshouldbediscouraged.Itencouragesfollowupofcasesofwomenwhohavegonebacktotheirfamilies,to
ensure‘smoothre-integrationwithinthecommunityandfamily’.However,thepersonnelandfinancialrequirements
todothesamearenotreflectedinthescheme.Thevoluntaryorganizationwhichtakesuptheschemeisexpected
to have all the required resources to implement the scheme.
Swadhar
Swadhar is a scheme that intends to offer services which are more long term in nature for women in ‘difficult
circumstances’.Thisschemeintendsto:

1. Provideshelter,food,clothingandcaretomarginalizedwomen/girlsindifficultcircumstances.
2. Emotionalsupportandcounseling.
3. Socialandeconomicrehabilitation-education,awareness,skillup-gradationandbehavioraltraining.
4. Networkingwithorganizationstoprovideclinical,legalandother support.
5. 24hourtelephonehelpline.
Thedefinitionofmarginalizedwomenandgirlslivingindifficultcircumstancesis:
1. Widows deserted by their families and relatives and left uncared near religious places where they are
victimsofexploitation.
2. Womenprisonersreleasedfromjailandwithoutfamilysupport.
3. Women survivors of natural disaster who have been rendered homeless and are without any social
and economic support.
4. Trafficked women/girls rescued or who have runaway from brothels or other places or women/girl
victimsofsexualcrimeswhoaredisownedbyfamilyorwhodonotwanttogobacktotheirrespective
familyforvariousreasons.
5. Women victims of terrorist/extremist violence who are without any family support and without any
economicmeansforsurvival.
6. Mentally challenged women (except for those who are diagnosed as psychotic who require care in
specializedenvironmentinmentalhospitals)whoarewithoutanysupportoffamilyorrelatives.
7. Women with HIV/AIDS deserted by their family or women who have lost their husband due to HIV/
AIDS and are without social/economic support.
8. Similarlyplacedwomenindifficultcircumstances.
The scheme provides for partial financial assistance for purchase of land and building for the home, as well as
supportforstaff,infrastructureandadministrativeexpensesinrunningthehome.
Like other schemes discussed above, this scheme does not lay out any details or guidelines for having women
withvariedexperiencesandrequirementstogether.Whiletheschemeofferslongtermshelterforwomenalong
withpsychiatric,medicalhelpandvocationaltraining,itdoesnotdetailouttherequirements,skillsandresources
needed to support the range of issues that it lists. Like in the above schemes, there is no detailing out of the
requirementsthatinstitutionswillhavetoinvestintoensurewomendiverseneedsarebeingmetadequately.The
scheme also has very sketchy guidelines for case management and documentation needed for the cases.
State Reception Centre forWomen
Statereceptioncentresarehomesforwomenwhoareinconflictwithlaw,howeverwomenwhoarein‘difficult
circumstances’are also taken into these homes. The rules of the Karnataka ImmoralTraffic (Prevention)Act
(ITPA)1989laysoutguidelinesforwomenwhoareinintermediatecustodyofpolice afterbeingrescuedfrom
‘moral danger’.Apart from these there is no policy document available for reception centres.
ITPAguidelines mention that under the order of the magistrate, women are to be put in the ‘nearest institution
established under the Moral and Social Hygiene and After Care Program of the Government or of a

corrective institution or protective home’. The inmates are to be given food and clothing, medical care and
‘personalityreconstructionandreformativetreatment’.Therulesalsoincludesupervising ‘disciplineamongst
inmates at all times and to see their needs and welfare… providing for them a healthy, homely environment
for their correction, social adjustment, vocational and educational training and ultimate social
rehabilitation’. Itdirectsperiodicreviewoftheirhealthandprovidesrecreationalandculturalprograms.Itlays
outdutiesofsuperintendent,matronsandchiefinspectorwhowouldbeprimarilyresponsibleforthecorrective
homes.Otherguidanceaboutescortingtheinmatestohospitals,courtsarealsolaidout.Specificfoodandother
requirementssuchasclothingarealsomentioned.Thechiefinspectorandtheboardofvisitorsareheldresponsible
tomonitorthefunctioningoftheinstitution.
Thereisheavyemphasisonensuringdisciplineandthefocusisoncorrectingthemoralcharacteroftheinmates.
Words such as ‘moral and social hygiene’, and ‘reformative treatment’, amongst others, reflect a paternalistic
approachoftheschemetowardswomenwhowouldbebroughttothesecentres.Thedocumentsbeginwiththe
presumption of them being wrong doers whose ‘character has to be re built’. The approach towards the
inmatesishighlymoralistic.Theintentionoftheschemeistorehabilitatetheinmatesandcorrecttheircharacters
to ensure successful social adjustments.As with the other schemes, women are to be rescued, protected and
corrected and not empowered.
There is no mention or analysis of the power politics of gender, sexuality and market in laying out approach
to support women arrested under Immoral Traffic Prevention Act (ITPA). For example, in the scheme
under the head ‘libraries for protective/corrective homes’, it is mentioned that the superintendent shall
choose periodicals or books for ‘character building and self improvement.’ The rules also talks of
having a ‘moral teacher’. It also mentions that, ‘every inmate, subject to good character, shall be
allowed to write or receive a letter once a month during the period of detention or stay in the
corrective home’. The superintendent would allow the inmate to send letters to her relatives or friends only
after it has been scrutinised. The document also mentions that ‘the superintendent may, with previous
written consent of the inmate who has attained age of 18 years arrange for marriage of such inmate
with a man of her own religion’. Thus women who are in conflict with the law are seen as those whose
character and morals need to be corrected, disciplined and finally married off to men from the same religion
and re-cast as respectable wives.
Regulationandcontrolislegitimisedinthewholedocumenttocorrectthecharacteroftheinmates.Therulesalso
givepowerstothesuperintendenttopunishanddisciplinetheinmates.Thesuperintendentisexpectedtomaintain
records of each inmate and their behavior. Reasons such as ‘quarrelling with other inmate, usage of obscene
language, immoral behavior, willfully bringing false accusations against any officer or inmate’ are
punishable,amongstmanyothers.Wordssuchas‘obscene’and‘immoral’arerepeatedlyusedinthedocument
assomethingpunishable,withoutdefiningwhatthesetermsmean. Withoutqualifyinganyofthesecircumstances
thepermissiontopunishinmatesisdangerousasitcouldleadtomisuseofpowerbytheauthorityincharge. Thus
thewholedocumentreadsmorelikeadescriptionofaprisonthanahomeforsupportforwomeninconflictwith
law.
The home is expected to have a staff nurse and medical examiner coming at regular intervals to check the
inmates.Thedocumentalsotalksabouteducationalandvocationaltrainingbytrainedteachersandentertainment
forthewomeninthehomes.

Any attempt to dialogue with women in conflict should begin with an understanding of the contexts they come
from and with a starting point of empathy rather than moral highhandedness. Such an approach will not only
distanceinmatesfromthepeopleintheinstitutionbutfailtoinspireanyconfidenceinthesystem.
State homes
State home has a policy document which only talks about the aim of the scheme and no other details about the
functionality of the State homes are mentioned. This scheme aims to provide protection and rehabilitation for
women needing long term protection.Women who are in conflict with law are also brought to State homes.
Vocational training for women in the schemes
The FCC, Santwana, Short Stay Homes and Swadhar offer vocational training for women. They are usually
connected with schemes that are already in place either by DCWD or the WDC. There are however no details
aboutthetrainingprogrammesuitingtheneedsandcapabilitiesofwomenfromvariousbackgrounds.Skillbuilding
programmesneedtobeinconsonancewithmarketneeds.Thisiscompletelylackinginmostoftheschemes.The
section on skill building and vocational training is poorly conceived in the all the documents. The nature of the
skill building usually offered in these vocational in homes to women are skills such as tailoring embroidering,
sewing, crafts etc that fetch women no jobs that cannot support them to lead their life.
Language in the schemes
In all the documents of the above scheme, there is no use of words such as ‘rights’or ‘gender’. Phrases such as
‘moral danger’, ‘social maladjustments’and their like define the tone and approach of the scheme. One can see
that there is an overall welfare approach to the services offered more than a gender rights perspective which
would have been an empowering approach. The Policy documents are bereft of a discourse of equality and
rightsthatareinherenttoIndianconstitutionalrightsandinternationalhumanrightsconventionssuchasConvention
onEliminationofallFormsofDiscriminationagainstwomen(CEDAW)whichIndiahasratified.

5
Santwana
As stated in Chapter 3, Santwanas are counselling centres funded by the Department of Women and Child
Development (DWCD), Karnataka and run through NGOs. They address the needs of women facing violence
such as sexual assault, dowry harassment, and domestic violence. They also provide consolation, short term
shelter,financialassistanceandskillbuildingforwomenfacingviolencetoleadanindependentlife.
In 2001, the first set of Santwanas were started in six districts, following which Santwanas were set up in some
taluks and district headquarters24
in phases. Currently, the DWCD has 69 centres in the State25
. These centres
are expected to provide services round the clock and have a twenty four hour toll- free helpline (1091).All
Santwanacentresareexpectedtoberunthroughorganisationsworkingonwomen’sissues.Thecentreisexpected
to be manned by one counsellor and three field workers.
Out of the twenty five santwanas in the eleven districts of the study sixteen centres were
chosen to be the sample.Aperson in charge of the organization, a counsellor at the centre
and two women who had come to seek help from the centre were interviewed. In addition,
agencies to which women are referred to were also interviewed. Observations made by the
data collectors on various aspects of the services is also part of the data26
analysis.
Family Counselling Centre
Family counselling centre (FCC) is a national scheme of Central Social WelfareAdvisory Board (CSWAB),
Government of India and in Karnataka the Karnataka State Social Welfare Advisory Board (KSWAB) is
STATE FUNDED COUNSELLING CENTRESCHAPTER
24
A clear spread of the centres is marked in Map 3.
25
This is the number of Santwanas functioning at the time of this study, the DWCD, over the period of the study has sanctioned
additional Santwanas increasing the numbers to 105 centres,. Not all the sanctioned centres are functioning as yet.
26
However, the data may not be consistent in every section due to factors such as unavailability of women and identified
personnel in the Santwana centre and referral agencies during data collection
STATE FUNDED COUNSELLING CENTRES

responsiblefortheimplementationofthescheme.TheboardreceivesfundsfromtheCentralGovernment,while
theStateChapterisinvolvedinimplementationofthescheme.
FCCs were introduced to provide services to family members, especially for women, children in incompatible
marriages. Some of the services provided at these centres to women seeking help include reconciliation,
rehabilitation, counselling, legal awareness, legal and medical assistance, short stay and shelter and vocational
training. FCC’s are run through NGOs working on social issues. Currently, there are 45 centres in the State of
Karnataka27
. These centres are expected to be manned by 2 counsellors, a peon and a typist.
Sixteen of the twenty four family counselling centres from eleven districts formed part of
thesample.Ateachfamilycounsellingcentre(FCC)thepersoninchargeoftheorganisation,
a counsellor in charge of the centre and two women who had accessed the services of the
centre were interviewed. In addition, agencies to which women are referred to were also
interviewed. Observations made by the data collectors on various aspects of the services
is also part of the data28
analysis.
27
A clear spread of the centres is marked in Map 3
28
Refer foot note 1

SPREAD AND SAMPLE: COUNSELING SERVICES
*Presence of more than one service in a district is indicated with a number on the right
**Numbers in brackets indicate the sample of services in that district

Santwana
Profile of organisations running the Santwana
All the Santwanas covered under the study are NGOs working on various issues in the districts they are based.
four of the twelve organisations running the Santwanas in this sample are headed by women. Except for two
organisationsinterviewed,therestofthecentresarerunbyorganisationsworkingwithwomenandchildren.All
thecentrescatertowomenandchildrenfacingviolenceandofferservicessuchaslegalcounselling,legalaidand
shelterandvocationaltraining.Issuesofyoungpeople,dalitissues,education,environmentandruraldevelopment
are some of the other issues addressed by these centres. 8 centres run programmes funded by the government
such as short stay homes, family counselling centres and other projects of the DWCD.
Family Counselling Centres (FCC)
Profile of organisations running FCC
Most of the organisations that run the FCCs’ work with women and children. They specifically cater to
women in distress and offer counselling for family members. Some of them also work with disabled people,
children and organic farming. 12 of the 16 centres chosen for this study are headed by women. 14 centres
have at least one other state funded project and run shelter homes for women and educational programs for
children.
A) Quality of Services
1. Human Resource
1.1 Number of counsellors:
The FCC policy mandate is for two counsellors (of which one has to be female), a peon and a typist.
Santwana policy mentions that centres must have one counsellor and three field workers (two female and
one male).
The ground reality, however, is very different. Not all the FCCs have the mandated two counsellors.Those that
do seem to be able to cope well, but the ones that have only one counsellor face problems, especially due to
workload and during absence of the counsellor from work. In the Santwanas, since there is only one counsellor
in each centre, in her absence (when she is on leave or after her shift), field workers, the Director or any other
staffoftheorganisationtakesover.Intheselectedsample,exceptforoneorganisationneithertheDirectorsnor
thefieldworkershadformalexperience/degreeincounselling.This,undoubtedly,affectsthequalityofcounselling
conducted at the centre.
Counselling being the fundamental activity, counsellors play a key role in the centres. Hence, it is important to
recruitthemandatednumberofcounsellors.Likewise,therecruitedstaffshouldbeefficientandtrainedenough
todeliverqualityservices.Ideally,inacentrethereshouldbeatleasttwopeoplewithcounsellingskillssothatin
the absence of one, the other can handle cases.

1.2 Qualification of staff
In the Santwana scheme, the prescribed degree mentioned is a Masters in Social Work, Bachelors in Social
Work,MastersinPsychologyorBachelorsinPsychologyforcounsellors.Theminimumqualificationlaiddown
forafieldworkeriscompletionofthePreUniversityCourse.AttheFCCs,theprescribeddegreeforcounsellors
is a Masters in Social Work or a Masters in Psychology.The FCCs are allowed to relax the rule in rural areas
where they are unable to find candidates with prescribed qualifications to engage counsellors with a Masters in
SociologyorHumanitiesprovidedtheyobtaina‘noobjectioncertificate’fromtheSocialWelfareBoard.sixout
ofthetotal16sampleSantwanacentresand10ofthe16FCCshadcounsellorswiththeprescribeddegreesand
all other counsellors had bachelors or Masters Degree in various subjects.
The DWCD stipulates salary of Rs.4,000 per month for counsellors and Rs 2,000 for social workers in
Santwanas. The CSWAB stipulates Rs 5,500 for counsellors in taluks /districts and Rs 7,000 for counsellors
in Bangalore for the FCCs. However, in 2008 there has been a revision of pay scales for Santwana staff and
now they are being paid Rs 6,000 and Rs 4,000 for counsellors and social workers respectively. It was
found that counsellors are not willing to work for the above salaries/ honorariums given the rising
inflation.
Asmostinstitutionsarelargelyandsolelydependentonthegovernmentfundstorunthecentre,theydocompromise
ontheprescribedqualificationsandrecruitafreshgraduatewhoiswillingtotakeupthejobforthegivensalary.
AscomparedtoSantwanas,thispracticeislessevidentinFCCs.FCCshaveanorganisedwayofrecruitingand
meet the requirements under the scheme of having counsellors with the prescribed qualification. Santwanas
continuetorecruitcounsellorsfromotherbackgrounds.DifferenceinsalarybetweenFCCsandSantwanacould
also be contributory factors for Santwanas not being able find appropriate staff.
The quality of counselling offered at the Santwanas is directly linked to the kind of staff recruited.AMasters
degree in Social Work or Masters in Psychology do not have components required to counsel women
facing violence. The policy suggests that people with Bachelors in Social Work and Psychology have to be
takenascounsellorsifcandidateswithmasterdegreesarenotavailable.Thisisshockingasthebachelorsdegree
isseverelyinadequatetodocounsellingforwomenincrisis.
Thecriticalneedistoensurethatthereisappropriatetrainingongenderandcounsellingfornewlyrecruitedstaff.
Suchithra Vedanthh, State Programme Director, Mahila Samakhya points out ‘Only qualifications don’t
make a counsellor. They need attitude, commitment and extensive training in counselling skills,
gender and law. Also we shouldn’t preclude people from counselling just because they don’t have
prescribed academic qualifications. With the right attitude and training they will be able to do
effective counselling’.
Thecriteriaforrecruitmentofcounsellorsneedstoberelookedtoincludeexperiencedpeoplewhomaynothave
degrees but have sufficient experience working with women in distress. In the criteria drawn out, the DWCD
does not mention anything about prior experience for the post of counsellor. However, it is important to recruit
counsellors with a gender sensitive attitude and skills to ensure quality services to women approaching these
centres. To plug the gaps that exist, it is important that the selection and recruitment of counsellors for these
centresbefurtherthoughtoutandfollowed.

1.3 Experience of the counsellors
A negligible number of counsellors at the Santwanas have had prior counselling experience and all the
others, it appears, are learning on the job (Refer to table 3).As per the scheme, counsellors at FCC’s are
expected to have at least two years experience in the field prior to their appointment. However, in most of the
FCCsthisruleisnotbeingadheredto.AreasonforthiscouldbethedifficultyinfindingpeoplewhohaveMaster
degreesinSocialWork,PsychologyorHumanities,inthedistrictsandwhoalsohaveafewyearsofexperience.
Manyofthecounsellorswhotakeupthesejobsareyoungpostgraduates,learningmanythingsonthejob.While
theirlackofexperienceinhandlingcasesofviolenceitselfcouldposeachallengetotheserviceoffered,thedata
collectorshavealsoobservedhowtheirownrealityofbeingyoungandunmarriedposesachallengeinengaging
withwomenwhocometothecentreswithviolentmarriagesorothermaritalproblems.
14 centres in Santwanas and 11 centres in FCCs have counsellors who have had no priorexperience of
counselling women facing violence. However, compared to Santwanas, the number of counsellors having
prior counselling experience in FCCs is marginally better. Theaverageperiodthatcounsellorsseemtostay
on is approximately three years. Thus proper orientation and training for the counsellors becomes central in
equippingthemwithskillsandframeworktocounselwomenincrisisefficiently.
1.4 Training29
of staff
Close to half of FCCs and Santwana
counsellors are neither trained nor do they
possess prior experience. The Santwana
Schemespecifiesathreedaytrainingprogramme
forcounsellorsandfieldworkersbeforetheytake
up their jobs. According to the DCWD the last
trainingswereheldinJuneandJuly2008.Asimilar
requirementoftrainingispartoftheFCCscheme.
TheKSWABisexpectedtoprovidetrainingtoall
the counsellors within six months of their joining
the centres. From the information that has been
gathered for this study, no training has been
conducted in the last two years by the KSWAB.
At times, Santwana staff are sent to participate in
programmes supported by the Women’s
DevelopmentCorporationandwhichisorganized
byNGOs30
.Itwasfoundthattherearecounsellors
whohadworkedforayearormorewithouthaving
gonethroughanyoftheabovementionedtraining
SANTWANAS-PRIOR EXPERIENCE
NumberofSantwanashavingcounsellorswith
priorworkexperienceincounsellingcentres
NumberofSantwanashavingcounsellorswithout
NumberofSantwanashavingcounsellorswith
prior work experience in different set ups such
as hospitals and NGOs
FCC-PRIOR EXPERIENCE
Numberofinstitutionshavingcounsellorswith
Numberofinstitutionshavingcounsellorswithout
Numberofinstitutionshavingcounsellorswith
prior work experience in different set ups such
as hospitals and NGOs
Table 3
2
12
2
5
9
2
29
Training here means and includes any training programmes on handling cases of diverse nature, documentation and all
other related issues organized by the funding agency, NGOs or by the organisation itself.
30
Women and Child Development Corporation gives funds to NGOs for conducting training programmes. DWCD sends the
counsellors and field workers to these programmes.

process.AlthoughorganisationsareinformedaboutthesetrainingsbytheDWCD,theredoesnotseemtobeany
mechanismtoensurethatalluntrainedcounsellorsattendtheseprogrammes. Oneofthereasonsisthatcentres
are not able to spare the only counsellor they have, to participate in three day trainings. When we spoke to the
concernedauthorityintheDWCDabouttrainingofSantwanastaff,weweretoldthatthecounsellorsaregiven
trainingwhentheyjointhejob.Itwasalsomentionedthattherearenoplannedprogramsforeveryyearand
that the Santwana staff go for trainings whenever they are arranged.
Organisations running Santwanas function with limited budgets. The centres are allotted an annual sum of Rs
10,000towardstrainingofstaffhandlingthehelpline.However,wehavefoundthatthatmanyoftheorganizations
budgetaryspendingreflectsnomoneyspentunderthishead. Itisalsoimportanttonotethatthetrainingbudget
ismeantfortrainingstaffonoperatingthehelpline.Howeverlargerfunctioningofthecentres,handlingofcases,
approach to issues of violence against women needs to go into the training program.
The DWCD’s one time, three day training programme for counsellors who are expected to counsel
women facing violence orin distress is, clearly, inadequate.Acounsellor would need perspective building
onissuesrelatingtoviolenceaswellasinformationaboutvariouslawsconcerningthesame.Aperusalofarecent
trainingschedulerevealsthattheissuescoveredwere;theroleofpolice,counselling,mentalhealthandinformation
ondisabilityschemes,propertyrightsofwomen,empowermentofwomen,PWDVAct2005,criminalLawand
schemes of the DWCD. It is evident that the training program covers various issues and a one and a half hour
sessiononcounsellingorondomesticviolenceactwouldsurelynotaidanylearningorcapacitydevelopmentof
thecounsellors.
Inadditiontothis,counsellorsneedtohavetheappropriateorientation,knowledge,skillsandattitude.Training
to impart appropriate skills before counsellors take on the job should be made mandatory.
1.5 Duplication of services
As per the Santwana scheme, the Santwana will be handed over to the organisation and a preference will be
giventoorganisationsalreadyrunningFCCs,shortstayhomesorworkingwomen’shostels. ThoughFCCand
Santwanaaredifferentschemesintermsoftheirmandateandscope,onthegroundtheyseemtobefunctioning
onsimilarlines.ThoughFCCismeantforthefamily,itiswomenwhoaccessthemthemostjustlikeSantwana
whichisexclusivelymeantforwomenindistress.Therefore,insteadofduplicatingservicesinoneplace,itwould
bemoreeffectivetoensurethatSantwanasandFCCsarelocatedindifferentareasandcoverabroaderpopulation
ofwomen.
Centres
Number of counsellors who
gone through some kind of
training
Number of counsellors who
have not gone through any
training
Santwana 9 6
FCC 8 7
Table 4

A significant observation made by the data collectors is that having similar services in the same
location seems to have led to the use of same staff in both the services in that centre. This is a bad
practice as not only are the staff overworked and underpaid but it also impacts their output and productivityof
theirwork.
1.6 StaffAttrition
Barring a few, the average stay period of the counsellors in Santwana and FCC is three years.According to
counsellorsandheadsofinstitutions,reasonsforstaffattritionarethetemporarynatureofjob,lowsalaries,long
hours of work, better job offers elsewhere and personal reasons such as marriage. This directly impacts the
qualityofservicesofferedtowomen.
Though the schemes estimate the human resource for this work, other supportive facilities for the
staff such as good salaries, travel allowances, relevant training are not envisaged adequately in the
scheme. The staff attrition needs to view in the light of all these problems the scheme is vexed with.
1.7 Payment of honorariums/salaries
As per the schemes requirements, all honorariums of the counsellors and field workers have to be made only
through cheques. The practice is very different.At half of the FCC centres, and close to half of Santwanas
counsellor salaries are paid by cash. This practice provides considerable room for corruption and
misappropriation.
2. Infrastructure
2.1 Toll free phone numbers and 24 hours helpline
The Santwana schemes were conceived to provide a 24 hour helpline along with other services.
The data however presents a different picture. Four centres out of the sixteen Santwana centres studied do not
have toll free numbers.At some Santwanas staff is not able to access the telephone to talk to clients or support
agencies.Threecentresoutofthesixteencentresinterviewedareopen24hoursaday.Fivecentresinthesample
worked all seven days of the week and the others worked six days a week.
Two of the FCCs have toll free numbers.Although FCCs are expected to be kept open for eight hours, six days
a week, in reality they are open only for seven hours on an average. However, although they are required to be
open only for six days a week, a small number are open on all days of the week.
The reasons for not having toll free numbers in Santwana centres are two fold. Firstly, the organisations do not
take the initiative to get the toll free numbers (the process involves getting a telephone number, writing to the
DeputyDirectorwhowillthenforwardtheapplicationtothetelecomDepartment).Secondly,fromourobservations,
it appears that the DWCD is not proactively taking steps to enforce it31
.
31
Information gathered from the DWCD.

2.2 Transport
Readilyavailabletransportfacilitiesareanimportantcomponentofcrisisinterventionforwomen,especiallyin
emergencysituations. OfthetotalSantwanasample,onlytwocentreshadtheirownvehicle.Approximatelysix
of the Santwanas hired vehicles or used public transport. Four used police vehicles or took help from other
organisations.
2.3 Vehicle
Six of the FCCs had their own vehicle.Asmall number used police or child development protection officer
(CDPO)’s vehicle and others hired or took public transport.
When asked about what would help them improve the quality of services in their centres, four of the Santwana
centres and a few FCCs opined that they need their own transport.
2.4 Seating arrangements
Amongsttheobservationsmadebythedatacollectors,therewerethoseonseatingarrangements.Tenoutofthe
sample Santwanas and FCCs have adequate seating arrangements. In other centres, the arrangements were
inadequateandwomenhadtowaitoutsidethecentrewhileawaitingtheirturntoconsultthecounsellor.
Theschemespecifiesthatorganisationsrunningthecentresshouldtakecareofbasicinfrastructure.Thereisno
specificfundallocationforthesame.Underthelineitemof‘miscellaneousexpenditure’oftheSantwanas,asumof
Rs. 5,000 was budgeted. This amount was raised to Rs 10,000 in 2006. Organisations that are able to mobilise
moneyforinfrastructureareabletohavefacilities.Severalothersarenotabletodothesame.Leavinginfrastructural
issuestotallytoorganisationshasmeantmanygapsinthewaytheseissuesaredealtwithontheground.
2.5 Basic amenities
Itisimportantthatcentresofferbasicfacilitieswhenwomenarewaitingtobecounselledorwaitingfortheother
party to arrive or waiting to be escorted to courts, police station or any other agency. Some of these centres do
not have facilities as basic as toilets and drinking water. Data collectors felt that the basic infrastructure was
lacking in six of these centres. Lack of such basic needs for women and staff needs to be addressed.
Half of Santwanas we studied face space constraints and five of the FCCs listed infrastructure as an important
areaofimprovementfortheircentre.
The monitoring bodies play an important role in ensuring that the scheme requirements are met. The Santwana
andFCCschemementionscentresshouldbegrantedtocentreshavingbasicinfrastructureandfacilitiesinplace.
Number of centres that have their own vehicle 2 6
Number of centres that do not have their own vehicle 14 11
Santwana FCC
Table 5

State services for women....a study

State services for women....a study

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