Women’s helpline ‘181’ to be active in Kerala from next month

Thiruvananthapuram: The women’s helpline number 181, set up by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Welfare, will be functional across Kerala by next month. Women can call the toll-free number for emergencies and services anywhere in India.

With the helpline, the government aims to unify all women’s aid facilities under a single toll-free number.

In Kerala, the 181 helpline will be run by Kerala State Women’s Development Corporation. All other existing women’s helplines will be integrated to this service. The state will set up a '24*7 hours' call centre and also create a comprehensive referral database of each locality for the purpose.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch the 181 helpline by the end of March, KSWDC Managing Director V C Bindu said.

The service is currently available in New Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Gujarat. The 181 helpline is a toll-free number, accessible from both mobile and landline. It is intended to provide 24 hours immediate and emergency response to women affected by violence or a threatening situation and facilitate crisis intervention through referral to police, hospital or ambulance services.

The toll-free number will also provide information about the appropriate support services available to the woman affected by violence.