Page 221 - economic review

193SOCIAL SERVICE

Box No 4.15

Crises and Response Centres for violence affected women

The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has proposed to establish adequately
equipped crises and response Centres to assist and support women affected by violence, at
660 locations across the country. The Centres are expected to facilitate medical aid and police
assistance, provide legal counselling / court case management, psycho-social counselling
and temporary shelter if required. Adequate funds are proposed to be provided through the
Nirbhaya Fund.

Some Women Centred Programmes:

• Self Employment Scheme for the Registered Unemployed Widows, Deserted/Divorced/
Unmarried Woman and Unwedded Mother (SHARANYA)

The scheme is to support the unemployed widows, deserted/legally divorced/unmarried
women and unwed mothers by providing financial assistance for self employment. 50% of the
project cost is subsidized and remaining 50% is disbursed by way of interest free loan. The
application for this purpose is collected by the District Employment Officer.

• Women Heath Care Centre (Seethalayam)
The Scheme provides Homeopathic aid for suffering women. It provides Out Patient services,
IEC activities etc. to the needy. It is a comprehensive approach for women development.
Besides treatment it combines the activities of other supporting departments for women
development like Social Welfare Department, State Women Commission, Home Department
etc. It provides infertility clinic services and de- addiction treatment facilities.

• Medical Care for Victims of Violence/Social Abuse
The scheme provides counselling support to the victims besides medical treatment for physical
injury, if any. This scheme is operational at General Hospitals and in almost all district hospitals.

Domestic Duties – A case for social intervention

4.224 Particulars of employment and unemployment are usually collected through three approaches
termed usual status approach, current weekly status approach and current daily status approach.
In the three approaches, persons are broadly categorised as ‘employed’ or ‘working’, ‘unemployed’
and ‘out of labour force’. A large section of women are engaged in domestic duties according to
Usual Status and hence are ‘out of labour force’. It may also be mentioned that a large proportion of
women usually engaged in domestic duties participate more or less regularly in some activities which
provide economic benefits to their households. Some of these activities are considered as economic
activities in the employment and unemployment surveys conducted by organisations like NSSO.
However, participation of women in such economic activities when the participation is very nominal
or when the activity carried out is not under the coverage of the economic activities considered for the
survey, are not reflected in the usual indicators of employment. If the women engaged in domestic
duties are given an opportunity to engage in economic activities on a regular basis, they will enter the
labour force and consequently into work force.

4.225 The Report of Employment and Unemployment survey conducted by NSSO as part of its 68th
round survey programme during the period July 2011 - June 2012, brings out some interesting facts.

• In Kerala about 55 percent of females aged 15 and above were engaged in domestic duties
according to Usual Principal Status.

Economic Review 2014