Indore, Jun 16 (PTI) Preeti (name changed) sits quietly on a plastic chair under a tree outside a One Stop Centre here. Her dupatta is neatly folded on her lap and her eyes shine with purpose.
“This is my last visit here,” she says, breaking into a faint smile.
After enduring five years of violence, her divorce has been finalised.
“He kicked me even when I was carrying his child. But this place helped me walk away,” Preeti told PTI about her now ex-husband.
She said this OSC helped her close a painful chapter of her life and she does not want to look back.
“This place gave me the courage to leave. Now, I can start over,” she said.
Launched in 2015 under the ‘Nirbhaya Fund’ following the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, the OSC scheme was envisioned as a nationwide support system for women facing violence in any form — physical, sexual, emotional or economic.
Also known as ‘Sakhi Centres’, these facilities are now operational in districts across India, offering integrated services under one roof.
The centre in Indore is one of the country’s more active and fully functional models.
The centre offers legal aid, medical assistance, emergency shelter, psychological counselling, police facilitation and linkage to social welfare schemes — all coordinated through a single window.
Since its inception in 2016, the Indore OSC has registered more than 15,683 cases. Each of these is not just a file — it’s a story of pain, survival and, often, justice.
Not sitting far from Preeti is Sita (name changed), whose husband circulated intimate videos of her.
“When I saw my neighbour watching that video on his phone, I knew I could not stay silent,” she said.
Sita claimed her husband is wealthy and powerful, while she comes from a family of daily wage labourers.
“We earn Rs 500-600 a day. We cannot support her for long,” said Sita’s sister-in-law, sitting beside her. “We came here hoping someone will.” Inside the centre, the atmosphere is quiet but brisk. Women arrive at all hours, some with babies in arms, others with hesitant steps and tear-streaked faces.
“This place does not close,” says Dr. Vanshchna Singh Parihar, Women Empowerment Officer at the OSC.
“Like hospitals and police stations, we run 24X7. Violence doesn’t follow office hours,” she said.
Parihar explained that survivors receive six core services — medical aid, police assistance, legal support, psychological counselling, temporary shelter and social reintegration.
“And beyond that we provide whatever emergency help is needed, be it food, clothing, or protection,” she added.
One of the biggest advantages of the OSC model is its single-window access.
“A woman does not have to run from police (station) to hospital to court. Here, everything is under one roof. We coordinate with the home ministry, health ministry, legal services authorities, and NGOs,” she said.
Women come to the centre through multiple channels — via the 181 women’s helpline, Anganwadi workers, court referrals, NGOs, or they simply walk in. The first step is always the same: being heard.
“They first come to me. I listen to their story, take a full statement and assess where to direct the case for counselling, to police, or for legal aid,” Dr. Parihar said.
“In 70-80 per cent of domestic violence cases, early counselling prevents escalation. If reconciliation is possible, we try. If a woman does not want to go back, we help her move forward, legally and emotionally,” she said.
For many, the OSC is a last resort. Among such women is Roshni (name changed), who came to the centre with her six-month-old daughter and her mother.
“My husband became violent after I gave birth to our daughter. He says she is a burden,” Roshni said.
Anjali Tiwari, a woman constable posted at the OSC, is part of a three-member team that works in 8-hour shifts round the clock.
“Seeing a woman in uniform gives them confidence. Women coming in tell me, ‘I want my daughter to grow up to be like you’. That is what keeps me going,” she said.
From medical examinations to escorting women to court, Tiwari helps with everything at the OSC.
“For many, this is the first place they feel safe,” she said.
India has more than 700 OSCs across districts. PTI UZM DIV DIV
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.