Addressing Domestic Violence within Healthcare Settings The Dilaasa Model
Padma Bhate-Deosthali, T K Sundari Ravindran, U Vindhya
Economic & Political Weekly EPW april 28, 2012 vol xlviI no 17
Women experiencing violence most often decide to seek legal action only after the violence has escalated and that too without having any documentary evidence.The Dilaasa crisis centres at two public hospitals in Mumbai since 2001 have been established out of the recognition that the public health system is an important site for the implementation of anti-domestic violence intervention programmes. The crisis centres therefore straddle both discourses of public health and
gender. The paper offers critical insights into the model and its impact in terms of its ability to reach out to women who are undergoing abuse and offer them multiple services in one setting.