A 24 hour helpline service for women victims launched

Staff Reporter
Dimapur, March 21

In a bid to curb the ever increasing crime against women, North East Welfare Society (NEWS) on Saturday morning launched a twenty four hour help line service for women called ‘Naga Helpline’.
The Naga Helpline will cater, support and facilitate voluntarily to the victims of domestic violence, racial discrimination, rape cases, molestation, gender insensitivity, child abuse and other relevant issues. Anyone can receive the help by dialing 970-7211011, which is open round the clock.
With the advancement and change in lifestyle and socio-economic condition of the Naga society, people are facing a multi-dimensional crisis in the form of violence and abuse perpetuated within and out of the ambit of Naga society, stated Naga Helpline team while giving a background to the helpline. Hereto unknown such form of abuse, violence and discrimination in the pure form of the Naga traditional society, today the tentacles of such mired crisis has penetrated every nook and corner of the Naga society posing a great challenge in embracing the ever changing socio-culture and developmental environment of the 21st century, it added.
The team stated that culture and practices foreign to Naga society such as rape, abuse of women and children, different forms of domestic violence have taken its toll necessitating a paradigm shift in addressing and advocating with the stakeholders for prevention, addressing and understanding the issues. The North East Welfare Society (NEWS) tries to fathom these impending issues and crisis by initiating the ‘Naga Helpline’ with a primary focus to educate people and assisting the victims for access to justice, asserting their rights, empowering socially stigmatized person to access legal services and pursuit of redress from the wider network of legal authority, livelihood opportunities etc, added the Naga Helpline team.
Addressing a small gathering, Thungbemo Patton, EAC and Administrator, Chumukedima Town Council (CTC), who formally launched the helpline, said that many victims suffer silently because they don’t know where to go and whom to approach but, with the launching of the helpline, he hopes that it will help women get justice. With the ever increasing cases of violence against women in the modern Naga society, Patton also blamed technology for this trend which is foreign to Naga culture. “Rapes, molestation or child abuse are not heard in the Naga society before but now with the advancement of technology, we are hearing all these thing in our society”, he said.
While reminding that women in the remote areas also experience different kinds of violence and abuses, he urged the North East Welfare Society (NEWS) to reach out to far flung areas of the state.
Giving a highlight on the Naga Helpline, Netish Pandey, Director, WE ASSAMESE said that the helpline will act as a bridge between the victims and the law enforcing and justice delivering agencies. He also informed that different features will be added to the service in the near future.

NAGA HELPLINE

Checklist:
Are you afraid of expressing something which is constantly disturbing you?
Are you experiencing or have experienced domestic violence?
Are you experiencing abuse or eve teasing in office, school or college etc?
How do I get in touch?
Helpline number: 970-7211011 is open 24×7, 365 days a year
Will my information be confidential?
Your information is confidential and safe
Who will pick my phone?
Our experts are fully trained and the confidential and anonymous nature provides a safe, non-judgmental space for you to talk about your experience.