Why in News

• One Stop Centers (OSCs) are intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace
• Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse, irrespective of age, class, caste, education status, marital status, race and culture will be facilitated with support and redressal.

Objectives of One Stop Centers (OSC)

• To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof.
• To facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support under one roof to fight against any forms of violence against women.

Target Groups for OSCs

• The OSC will support all women including girls below 18 years of age affected by violence, irrespective of caste, class, religion, region, sexual orientation or marital status.
• For girls below 18 years of age, institutions and authorities established under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 will be linked with the OSC.
• The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) will provide support to the State Governments/UT Administrations for the establishment of OSC.
• In the first phase, one OSC envisaged to be established in every State/UT on a pilot basis. Further, 150 One Stop Centers were established in second phase, in addition to 36 Centers in first phase.

Services Provided at OSCs

• Emergency Response and Rescue Services:
  • For this, linkages will be developed with existing mechanisms such as National Health Mission (NHM), 108 service, police (PCR Van).
  • woman affected by violence can either be rescued from the location and referred to the nearest 4 medical facility (Public/ Private) or shelter home.
• Medical assistance:
• • Women affected by violence would be referred to the nearest Hospital for medical aid/examination which would be undertaken as per the guidelines and protocols developed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• Assistance to women in lodging FIR/ NCR/DIR:
  • The OSC will facilitate the lodging of FIR/NCR/DIR
• Psycho-social support/ counselling:
  • A skilled counsellor providing psycho-social counselling services would be available on call.
  • This counselling process will give women confidence and support to address violence or to seek justice for the violence perpetuated.
• Legal aid and counselling:
  • legal aid and counselling would be provided at OSC through empaneled Lawyers or National/State/District Legal Service Authority.
  • In case the trial or inquiry relates to an offence of rape it would be the duty of the Prosecutors trying the case to complete the trial within a period of two months from the date of filing of charge sheet.
• Shelter:
  • The OSC will provide temporary shelter facility to aggrieved women.
  • For long term shelter requirements, arrangements will be made with Swadhar Greh/Short Stay Homes (managed/affiliated with government/NGO).
• Video Conferencing Facility:
  • OSC will provide video conferencing facility through Skype, Google Conferencing etc. to aggravated women.

• For More Detail Read This article

Members of OSCs

• Centre Administrator – The First Point of Contact
• Case Worker
• Police Facilitation Officer (PFO)
• Para Legal Personnel/ Lawyer
• Para Medical Personnel
• Counsellor
• IT Staff
• Multi- purpose Helper
• Multi- purpose Helper

DIAGRAMMATIC OVERVIEW OF ONE STOP CENTRE

FAQ

Q1: What is an Indian women’s One Stop Center (OSC)?
Ans : The Indian government built One Stop Centers as specific assistance centers to help women who are victims of various sorts of violence.

Q2: What services do One Stop Centers offer?
Ans: In addition to providing temporary housing, counseling, legal support, and medical assistance, OSCs offer a wide range of services to help women in need.

Q3: How can One Stop Centers be accessed by women?
Ans: Women can get in touch with OSCs by going directly to the center or by calling the helplines. For those in need, they are made to be conveniently available.

Q4: Are the services provided by One Stop Centers private?
Ans: Yes, OSCs prioritize maintaining confidentiality. To protect women who are in need of assistance, the information they provide is kept confidential.

Q5: In India, who manages and finances One Stop Centers?
Ans: The government provides financial support to One Stop Centers, which are run by seasoned organizations to provide ongoing help to women who are victims of violence.

Q6: Do certain kinds of violence get handled by One Stop Centers?
Ans: OSCs provide individualized help depending on the circumstances of each case, addressing a range of violent crimes such as sexual assault, harassment, and domestic abuse.

Q7: Exist One Stop Centers in all of India’s states?
Ans: In order to help women who are in need on a large scale, efforts are being undertaken to build OSCs in every state in India.