Ever ready to take a call

NEW DELHI: It is the latest in the clutter of women's helplines in Delhi, but different . The 181 distress number started by the Delhi government on December 31 is run by women who have faced violence, harassment or other difficult circumstances. And heading it is lawyer-activist Khadijah, who famously fought for 11 years to send a man to prison for molesting her on a bus. He eventually got a four-month sentence.

More than the groping hand, the witness box gave Khadijah a sense of the deep-seated chauvinism in society. "During cross-examination, the accused's lawyer asked me the age of my child. Each time he tried to question my being in a bus at 9pm when I had a small child at home. But I fought the stereotypical mindset and won," she says.

The activist in Khadijah is still going strong. She works 'with' the government but can stand up to it for a cause, asshe did during the Nirbhaya protest at Jantar Mantar, and outside the CM's residence braving water cannons.

Now, Khadijah and her 16 teammates try to help women in distress win their battles. Since December 31, the helpline has received more than 86,000 calls. Of these, 10 were about rape, 36 of dowry death, 520 of dowry related violence, and 3,374 of domestic violence. The most common complaints are of stalking, followed by those of sexual harassment.

But the staff feels the helpline, located in the office of chief minister Sheila Dikshit, can do more. There are connectivity issues. It is able to reach 70-77 % callers in the first attempt. Even after follow-up on missed calls, the total outreach is about 85%. Officials said more lines will be added to increase 181's reach.

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