No end to Women's sufferings

Fate of ‘Sakhi – One Stop Centres for Women' caught in bureaucratic wrangling in Jammu Kashmir

Gill JS

Jammu Tawi, July 08: The Jammu Kashmir administration has recoiled yet again in its new found hinterland of JK Union Territory on the issue of having effective mechanism for timely relief to the women in distress. On Tuesday, the Administration cancelled the empanelment of a Delhi based NGO for operating/maintaining ten ‘One Stop Centres for Women' (OSCs) under Govt. of India's Sakhi Scheme in 10 districts of Jammu and Kashmir which only symbolizes the fallacious one step forward and two steps backward trend in JK Administration.

The prime objective of the scheme is to support women affected by violence at all spheres. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse will be facilitated with support and redressal.

The State Resource Center for Women (SRCW) in J&K, vide its Public/Advt Notice published on 11-12-2019, invited NGOs/entities for empanelment for operating 10 OSCs in 10 districts for successful implementation of the GoI's Sakhi Scheme in J&K. Sources said that forty eight NGOs/Societies participated in the bid. An evaluation committee constituted for the purpose recommended and shortlisted twelve out of the 48 participants.

However, the Mission Director, State Resource Centre for Women vide her order 65-SRCW of 2020 dt. 10-06-2020 approved the empanelment of a Delhi/Gurugram based NGO, Aman Satya Kachroo Trust for all the ten Districts ignoring the recommended and shortlisted NGOs, the decision which few of the participants alleged as a subjective selection defying all the selection criteria in place.

The cancellation made vide 66-SRCW-2020 Dt. 07-07-2020 has been made on grounds that the successful bidding NGO could not fulfill some of criteria asked for within 30 days period that ended on June 30. The cancellation that seems technical however, implies that the selection of the only one empanelled NGO among 48 other participants is good in the eyes of the administration.

In this whole process of bureaucratic wrangling, the mission of Sakhi scheme for women in distress failed as 21 month time period was wasted to kick-start the OSCs in JK UT.

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development approved 13 new One-Stop Centres (OSCs) for Women for J&K in October 2018 to be established in Samba, Udhampur, Poonch, Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar, Pulwama, Budgam, Ganderbal, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam and Kargil. These OSCs were fully funded by the Government of India earmarking Rs. 5.65 Crores. With three already existing OSCs at Jammu, Srinagar and Leh, number of such Centres were to go up to 22, covering all the districts of the erstwhile J&K State to be managed by State SRCW under J&K Social Welfare Deptt and their functioning to be monitored by the Deputy Commissioners of respective districts.

Two OSCs at Samba and Budgam became functional in early 2019 by the initiatives taken by the Deputy Commissioners of these two districts, Kargil exited from the list of J&K after Ladakh was carved out as separate Union Territory last year.

Samba OSC ceased to function

However, as per insiders, the Samba OSC ceased to function within few months, thanks to Mission Director, J&K SRCW, Shabnam Kamli who on one fine morning emerged at the Samba Centre and got raised a sign board of Juveniles Reform Home at the same building where the OSC for women was established, even without taking the District Administration in confidence.

Sources said the Advisor to LG (Social Welfare) Farooq Khan disapproved of having OSC for Women and Juvenile with criminal background in the same building, however, failed to provide the solution and that ended into shutting down of OSC at Samba.

Case of Sakeena Bee

A test case landed in the office of this newspaper of one Sakeena Bee of Poonch who has been a victim of domestic violence at the hands of her husband – a PSO in JK Police who after severe thrashing brought her to Jammu for treatment and later abandoned her in the hospital.

Sakina narrated her woes with tears that she got registered at OSC Jammu vide registration number 1413 through Helpline 181 where she was given initial help in filing complaint at Police Station, Chinnore, Jammu but neither police took any action against her husband nor was her case properly pursued to get her logical relief.

While she has been given shelter by a local family at Jammu, her husband has been harassing her and the family that sheltered her by filing false cases against them at Poonch.

Sakhi Website paints real picture

The data uploaded on web page of Women Helpline 181jandk.in too is not encouraging.

For Jammu, it is collated that for a period of October 2017 to April 2020, a total of 1,874 cases stand registered in the Sakhi center and only 5 FIRs have been filed while 458 were provided police assistance.

Srinagar for period from May 2018 to April 2020: Total registered cases 195 out of which ZERO “0” FIRs were filed, ZERO “0” legal advice were provided, ZERO “0” Medical Assistance was provided, while 5 cases were provided police assistance.

While these figures speak for themselves, there is not much to talk about actually. The legal proceeding which shall follow after a woman in distress reaches the Sakhi Centre appears to be lagging and frustrating.

These stats which could also be buffed up as they are mere figures or rather claims made by the entities contracted to run these centers itself, need to be reviewed and evaluated timely, the process of which appears to have been arrested at the moment.

Our bids to contact the two DCs- Jammu, Srinagar and the Mission Director, SRCW failed miserably as usual in the case of senior functionaries of J&K Administration. They even did not choose to respond to two basic queries sent to their official phone numbers the idea of which is to bridge the gap between people and administration.

The Failing Sakhi Scheme

One Stop Sakhi Centre is an excellent scheme which if implemented properly can do remarkable work for women in distress and for those in need prompt rescue and relief. “The scheme for unknown reasons has not surfaced properly for the people to be made aware of it. This scheme of tremendous potential has received very little recognition and dissemination for public participation. The poor implementation of the scheme can rust it or render it defunct,” told a senior official in the Social Welfare Department on condition of keeping anonymity.

The fate of the scheme appears to be in doldrums if the prevalent mindset of top bureaucrats in J&K does not change to new ground realities.