One stop centre scheme

WHY IN NEWS?

• Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, is to set up One-Stop Centres (OSCs) in 10 missions across 9 countries. It will be set to curb the cases of violence against women.
• One OSC will be set up each in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Canada, Australia and Singapore. TWO OSCs will be set up in Saudi Arabia.
• The countries have been identified by the MEA based on the Indian Diaspora population and that these centres will be run by the MEA, though they will be funded by the WCD Ministry.
• Currently, about 701 One Stop Centres are operating in country since 2015 across 35 states & Union Territories. Through these centres, three lakh women have been provided assistance since in 2015.
• This is a centrally sponsored scheme, funded through Nirbhaya Fund.
• Launched in 2015 by Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).

Objectives

• To provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence and in distress, both in private and public spaces, under one roof, and to facilitate immediate, emergency, and non-emergency access to a range of services such as police, medical, legal aid, and counselling, as well as psychological support, in order to combat all forms of violence against women.