Delhi: Helpline for women gets over 2 lakh calls!

The Delhi government's 181 helpline for women, which was launched in the wake of the December 16 gangrape, has received over two lakh calls in the last four-and-half months.

Officials said most of the calls received by the round-the-clock helpline were related to stalking, eve-teasing, obscene calls, sexual abuse and domestic harassment.

The helpline was launched on December 31 last year to help women in distress and check the increasing rate of crime.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday reviewed the functioning of the helpline at a high-level meeting attended by representatives of police, the Delhi Commission for Women and the department of women and child welfare.

The chief minister asked all stakeholders to work in close cooperation to ensure a better response system for women in distress and suggested that cyber crimes which target the fairer sex should also be taken seriously.

Dikshit, who was the brain behind the launch of the helpline, also asked the health department to procure five well equipped ambulances exclusively to offer medical help to women victims of various forms of violence.

Following a suggestion by Dikshit, the stakeholders decided to meet at least once in two months to review the functioning of the 181 helpline and the follow-up response mechanism by various agencies.

The helpline operates from the Chief Minister's Office in Delhi Secretariat.

Expressing satisfaction over the performance of people running the helpline, Dikshit said a number of states have shown an interest in setting up similar facilities for women.

"Many states have expressed an interest in setting up similar helplines," she said.