Twitter on Thursday launched a search prompt for users seeking information on domestic violence , which will lead users to the NCW and the Ministry of Women and Child Developments’ pages. However, there is a lot left to be desired from the two government pages, which lacked user-friendly resources for survivors.
The way the service works is that when users type keywords including #domesticviolence, #crimeagainstwomen, #dowry, #maritalrape etc, then they are directed to a page hosted on the official website of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and the Twitter timeline of the National Commission for Women. The purpose is to direct users to information and updates from ‘authoritative’ sources.
The Hindu audited the service and found that the NCW’s timeline didn’t provide any useful information that could be used by a woman in distress. It carried an announcement about the Twitter initiative, Chairperson Rekha Sharma’s advice on mental health and her comments on boycotting Chinese goods. There was only a helpline number as its cover image, which was of use.
The Ministry’s page fared better — it had a directory for One Stop Centres across the country, a text of the law on domestic violence (Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005), emergency helplines and contact details for legal aid and mental health. But it was not clear how internal government orders could help users.
“It would be helpful if NCW and WCD have specific pages and helplines linked to these prompts on Twitter. Even NCW’s WhatsApp service would be useful. Secondly, activating State-based field NGOs would be a good idea since they would be able to provide immediate relief,” says Japleen Pasricha, a feminist activist and media entrepreneur who founded the webportal, Feminism In India.
Published - June 17, 2020 12:59 pm IST
