By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission (UPSWC) will now offer consultation services round-the-clock for women in distress on its toll-free number, an official said Thursday.
“In the wake of the ever rising complaints being filed at the Commission from different parts of the state, we have decided to start the 24-hour service,” Abha Agnihotri, chairperson of UPSWC told IANS.
“Within a month we will probably start round-the-clock service,” she added.
Presently, the toll free number worked for about six hours a day. As a result, several calls go unattended, officials said.
This year the commission has already received a total of 26,173 cases pertaining to domestic violence, rape, attempt to rape, sexual harassment, dowry deaths, police harassment and others, officials added.
Significantly, according to a study conducted by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Uttar Pradesh accounts for nearly 10 percent of the crime against women across the country.
The toll free number is 1800-180-5220.