Latest news with #Women'sHelpline
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
‘Mahila Jan Sunwai' toresolve harassment cases
Kanpur: A 'Mahila Jan Sunwai' was conducted at the Circuit House, presided over by the chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women's Commission, Dr Babita Singh Chauhan alongside Commission members . Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The session focused on addressing women's harassment issues. The Commission reviewed 57 cases concerning women's harassment, domestic violence and dowry matters. Six cases were settled during the proceedings. Attendees received information about emergency services, including dialling 112 for immediate assistance during harassment or domestic violence incidents. They were also informed about Women's Helpline numbers 1090 and 181 for support services. Following the hearing, Dr Babita Singh Chauhan conducted inspections at LLR Medical College, Govt Children's Home (Girls) in Swaroop Nagar, and the district jail. She issued instructions regarding women's comfort, maintaining cleanliness and ensuring proper drinking water facilities considering the weather conditions.
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Mission Shakti has prevented over 1,700 child marriages: UP govt
Uttar Pradesh's flagship women-centric initiative 'Mission Shakti' has reached over 9 crore women since its launch in October 2020. Backed by coordinated efforts across departments and institutions, the campaign has completed five phases and delivered large-scale interventions aimed at women's safety, welfare, and empowerment, the state government said on Saturday. 'Through coordinated efforts, the campaign reached 9 crore women and spread awareness about safety, rights, and welfare schemes,' said Puneet Mishra, nodal officer of Mission Shakti, department of women and child welfare. According to data shared by the government, 1,707 potential child marriages were prevented under the campaign. The Women's Helpline (1090) responded to 7.78 lakh cases, while One Stop Centres extended support in 2.10 lakh cases of violence and abuse. The Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojana benefitted 23.40 lakh girls across the state. In its infrastructure push, the campaign established 100 pink police booths and added 80 new terminals to the 1090 call centre. In urban local bodies, over 1,100 pink toilets were built across 189 municipalities to ensure better hygiene and safety for women. 'The government prosecuted 27,425 cases of crimes against women and minors, which included 11,254 cases under the POCSO Act and over 3,700 dowry death cases,' the press note stated. In aspirational districts, over 2 lakh girls were identified and supported for holistic development. The state also recorded 84% institutional deliveries, reflecting expanded access to maternal healthcare. According to the government, Mission Shakti's outreach was amplified through special events, awareness drives, and training sessions conducted in villages, schools, colleges, and urban wards. Departments such as Police, Health, Education, Transport, and Panchayati Raj held workshops on topics including cybercrime, domestic violence, legal rights, mental health, and financial literacy. The campaign has involved over 30 departments, including the departments of health, and home affairs, along with contributions from social organisations and educational institutions, the officials informed.
Hindustan Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Indian documentary 'I, Poppy' bags top award at Canada's Hot Docs
Toronto: An Indian production has won the top award at North America's leading documentary film festival for the second year running. Directed by Vivek Chaudhary, the film I, Poppy, garnered the Best International Feature Documentary award at Hot Docs, in Toronto, on Friday. The film's producers said the film was shot over five years in an 'observational style in the poppy fields of Rajasthan'. 'Going against some powerful forces, both against the opium mafia and the corrupt Narcotics Bureau, the film crew faced considerable challenges but persevered to bring this human story to life,' they added. In a statement, the jury which selected the film for the award, said, 'A film of negotiations – with family, with community, with the systems that limit our choices and bind our fates. For its moving and thoughtfully crafted chronicle of a family navigating conflicts, contradictions and uncomfortable truths, the jury presents the Best International Feature award to I, Poppy.' Since Hot Docs is an Academy Awards qualifying festival for feature documentaries, 'I, Poppy', which is in Hindi and Marwari, will qualify for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature category of the Oscars without the standard theatrical run, provided it complies with Academy rules. Chaudhary's first film, the 45-minute long Goonga Pehelwan or The Mute Wrestler, won the Indian National Film Award for Best Debut Film in 2015. 'I, Poppy' which is 81-minutes in length, is his debut feature documentary. In 2024, the feature, 'Farming The Revolution', from Mumbai-based filmmaker Nishtha Jain, was the winner of the Best International Feature Documentary Award. 'I, Poppy' was one of two Indian productions that had their world premiere at Hot Docs this year. The festival also showcased Marriage Cops, a India-US co-production directed by Shashwati Talukdar and Cheryl Hess, which looked at the Women's Helpline in Dehradun, India, where marriage mediation meets law enforcement in the most unexpected ways. The 2025 edition of Hot Docs presented 113 films from 47 countries. The festival which began on April 24 will conclude on Sunday.
News18
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
How Dehradun's 'Marriage Cops' Made It To The World's Biggest Documentary Festival
Last Updated: An Indo-Canadian filmmaker duo's new documentary explores the unique efforts of Dehradun's all-women police helpline. What happens when police officers double up as marriage counsellors? Well, in Dehradun, that's been happening for two whole decades and now, their unusual story is going global! Way back, Dehradun launched a special Women Helpline right inside a police station. Staffed with trained officers, the helpline quietly tackled everything from emergencies to marital disputes! Yep, instead of just arresting people, these cops also patched up feuding couples and sent them home (hopefully) a little more in love. Now, this heartwarming service has been turned into a documentary called Marriage Cops. Directed by Dehradun's own Shashwati Talukdar and Philadelphia-based Cheryl Hess, the film dives into how the helpline became an unlikely centre for saving marriages. Marriage Cops is all set to premiere at Hot Docs Festival in Canada this Sunday! FYI, Hot Docs is the world's biggest documentary festival. Launched back in 2004, the Women's Helpline in Dehradun has been a lifeline for women stuck in rocky marriages. Every year, they handle over 1,000 cases with issues ranging from dowry troubles and property fights to cheating, abuse, and meddling in-laws. Every Thursday, the police station turns into a counselling centre, with a team of women police officers, a psychologist, a lawyer, and a social activist all rolling up their sleeves to help. They sit down with couples, listen to both sides, and try to work some magic to bring them back together. Most of the time, these counselling sessions are anything but calm. It's often a full-blown shouting match, with husbands and wives hurling accusations and digging up old promises gone wrong. But even through all the chaos, the helpline manages to give many women a chance to take back a little control, making their complicated lives just a little bit easier. 'What was compelling for us to explore was how ordinary people were using the police to solve their personal problems. Which is not how we are used to seeing the police or even thinking about them," says Talukdar. After the 2012 nationwide protests against the brutal gang-rape of a young student in Delhi, Talukdar and Hess felt a strong urge to explore the role of policing and its impact on violence against women and that's what eventually led them to this story. At the time, the two filmmakers were brainstorming ideas for their next project together, years after first meeting at film school in Philadelphia. Talukdar had just wrapped up her first documentary, Please Don't Beat Me Sir, which told the story of the Chhara tribe in Ahmedabad, a community unfairly branded as criminals during British rule and later de-notified after India's independence. Meanwhile, Hess was busy working as a field producer and cameraperson for the ABC News series NYPD 24/7. The Women Helpline wasn't something unique to Uttarakhand as several states had their own versions to support women stuck in abusive relationships. In fact, the very first women's helpline in India started in Tamil Nadu. Mumbai also had one, where an NGO teamed up with the police to tackle crimes against women. But what made Dehradun's helpline stand out was this: nowhere else were the police themselves stepping in to actually counsel couples. First Published:
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Film on Dehradun's women helpline goes to Hot Docs Canada: Docu traces helpline's unusual marriage counselling service
Launched two decades ago, the Women Helpline in Dehradun is a well-staffed special office inside a police station in the hill state of Uttarakhand. Now, thanks to an intercontinental collaboration between two Indian and American filmmakers, Dehradun's helpline has also become the subject of a new documentary. (Also read: Films chronicling Indian farmers' protests, CAA to feature at Hot Docs festival) Marriage Cops, directed by Dehradun-born Shashwati Talukdar and Philadelphia-based Cheryl Hess, tells the story of an unlikely service provided by the police in Uttarakhand: marriage counselling to feuding couples. The 80-minute film will premiere at the Hot Docs Festival in Canada, the world's biggest documentary film festival, on Sunday. First started in 2004, the Women's Helpline receives over 1,000 cases every year from women whose marriages are on the rocks. The reasons behind the cases of domestic discord in the mostly arranged marriages that arrive at the helpline are dowry, adultery, physical abuse, property disputes and interference by in-laws. Every Thursday, a counselling team of women police officers and a team of volunteers, including a psychologist, lawyer and social activist, gather in the police station to meet and counsel couples, trying to help them reach a reconciliation. Most of the time, it is a messy meeting, with wives and husbands shouting at each other and accusing each other of broken promises. But in many cases, it works to give the women an opportunity to manage their lives slightly better than the complicated place it already is. "What was compelling for us to explore was how ordinary people were using the police to solve their personal problems. Which is not how we are used to seeing the police or even thinking about them," says Talukdar, who, along with Hess, wanted to look at the impact of policing and violence against women, after the nationwide protests against the gang-rape of a young student in Delhi in 2012. At that time, the two filmmakers were planning their next work on a project together after having met in a film school in Philadelphia many years before. Talukdar had just completed her first documentary, Please Don't Beat Me Sir, about the Chhara tribe in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a community condemned by the British as criminals and de-notified after independence. Hess was a field producer and cameraperson for the ABC News series, NYPD 24/7. The Women Helpline was not unique to Uttarakhand, with several states having their own to aid those in abusive relationships. The first women's helpline in the country was started in Tamil Nadu. Mumbai had a helpline that involved an NGO fighting crimes against women. There wasn't, however, one where the police provided counselling to couples. The big difference between the Dehradun women helpline and others across the country gave Talukdar and Hess just the kind of inspiration they needed. It also helped that Talukdar was born in Dehradun and lived there. Armed with permissions for shooting inside a police station, the filmmakers -- Hess was also a trained cinematographer -- placed themselves in the Dehradun Women Helpline office for three months, capturing the tension, and on a rare occasion a ray of hope. "This was before the coronavirus pandemic," says Talukdar, a post-graduate in mass communication from Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi, who also studied filmmaking at the Temple University, Philadelphia where Hess was a student. "What was really interesting for us was how the state sort of regulates personal lives," she adds. The approach of the filmmakers to the documentary was closely linked to the high rate of domestic violence in India and the alarming attitude of the society to it. "There are men who believe it is sort of right to hit your wife," says Talukdar. "Because there's so much pressure from society, from family, you can't really prosecute the perpetrators of domestic violence. So the prosecution of domestic violence is absolutely abysmal in India," explains Talukdar. In such a system, the Women Helpline in Dehradun gave a small window to the women in abusive relationships. In the film, one woman seeks the help of the police to get money for baby's milk from her estranged husband. Another wants a kitchen separate from their extended family. "I think you can't put it on them (police) to solve the societal problem. That's something beyond the scope of the women's helpline," says Hess, who last year directed a short documentary, She Got Balls!, about a vegan recipe at a meatball contest. "So I feel these women come in, and they, you know, want money for child support," she adds. "Maybe they really don't want to prosecute, which can be quite shocking, especially for a Western audience without understanding the context of how marriage works and how the family is involved in the marital relationships and that the woman may not be able to go back home and there's not an extensive shelter system for her," says Hess. "Nobody wants to go to the police, you know? Like, people avoid the police. That's universal. But we found that the helpline had thousands of cases. It was really popular. So there was something that was appealing, like, to leverage the power of the state for your own ends, and that's what the women were attempting to do," says Hess. Produced by Diana Chiawen Lee, an independent Taiwanese producer known for the documentaries The Priestess Walks Alone (2016) and The Catch (2021), Marriage Cops focuses on three couples as they receive counselling from the police at the Women's Helpline. Headed by a sub-inspector, the helpline has eight constables who take turns interrogating the couples and doing the massive paperwork. Almost all the helpline staff are women. The documentary also shows how the police are working hard to protect the institution of marriage. "There's such a huge interest in making people stay together," says Hess. "It's just not two people getting married. It's like the entire village has an interest in a couple staying together because a break-up disturbs the entire political and social economy," adds Talukdar. The curious case of police as counsellors dominates the production. "The cops are doing the counselling, you know, it's so different. They're not trained as relationship counsellors. And they shouldn't be. Peculiarly, it is somehow effective at some point," says Hess. Adds Talukdar, "At the end of the day, it's not the police's job to provide marriage counselling."
