One Stop Centres in India: Connecting Women Affected by Violence to Integrated Support

CASE STUDY 36 / 200

Research area: India — One Stop Centre scheme under Mission Shakti

Research status: Desk-research case study based on Ministry of Women and Child Development sources

Abstract / Executive Summary

One Stop Centres (OSCs) are designed to connect women affected by violence in public or private settings with multiple forms of support. Official scheme descriptions list services such as medical assistance, legal aid, police assistance, temporary shelter and psychosocial counselling. This case study considers the access and referral journey rather than treating a directory listing as proof that support has been received. It identifies product-design safeguards for helping a user find and contact services without promising availability or substituting an app for trained support.

Keywords

One Stop Centre; Mission Shakti; referral; counselling; shelter; women’s support services

1. Introduction and Research Question

How can digital tools help women navigate integrated support services while accurately representing eligibility, availability and referral outcomes?

2. Methods and Evidence Selection

Review of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) One Stop Centre scheme pages and related official programme descriptions. No centre-level audit, user interviews or service-quality evaluation was conducted.

3. Case Context

The MWCD describes OSCs as part of the Sambal vertical of Mission Shakti. The scheme aims to provide integrated support to women affected by violence, including violence in private and public spaces. Published service descriptions include medical, legal, police, shelter and counselling support, with referrals through Women Helpline 181 and other pathways.

4. Findings from Reviewed Evidence

• The official scheme description lists several service types under one roof, aiming to reduce the need for survivors to navigate disconnected services alone.
• The MWCD states that women can seek help through a centre directly or be referred through a person or service pathway, including Women Helpline 181.
• An official MWCD page states that temporary shelter at an OSC may be available for a maximum period of five days under the described scheme. This should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a bed is available at every centre at every moment.
• Official pages report changing operational counts over time. Any number of functional centres should be tied to its publication date and source, not presented as timeless.

5. Discussion and Interpretation

A directory alone is not a complete referral system. A person may need to know the service scope, operating hours, accessibility, documents (if any), travel requirements, privacy considerations and whether a centre can accept a referral. A digital product should avoid collecting sensitive disclosures merely to show a phone number or address.

6. Legal and Policy Context

Scheme details and access arrangements may change. This is general information, not legal advice or a guarantee of eligibility or service availability. Confirm current procedures through MWCD and relevant state authorities.

7. Potential VETRIPEN Design Implications

The following are design hypotheses for research and testing. They are not claims that VETRIPEN currently provides these capabilities or has demonstrated effectiveness.

• Provide links and contact details from official sources with a last-verified date.
• Separate ‘information displayed’ from ‘contact attempted’, ‘referral requested’ and ‘service confirmed’.
• Offer a discreet exit and clear notice before opening a call, map or messaging application.
• Allow a user to seek information without entering an account or describing the violence, where technically feasible.

8. Recommendations and Evaluation Metrics

• Verify contact details with state and district authorities before deployment and on a scheduled review cycle.
• Do not publish a centre as open or available unless that status has been confirmed through a reliable source.
• Test referral flows with survivor-support professionals and accessibility reviewers.
• Minimise sensitive data collection and avoid retaining detailed narratives by default.

Possible pilot metrics, where appropriate: successful task completion, consent comprehension, alert/report status accuracy, accessibility task success, failed handoffs, privacy complaints and user-reported sense of control. Define metrics and collection methods before a pilot; do not treat app activity as a proxy for real-world safety.

9. Limitations

The report relies on scheme-level official descriptions and does not assess individual centre capacity, staff training, waiting times, confidentiality practices or outcomes. Centre-level availability must be confirmed locally.

10. Conclusion

The reviewed materials support a careful, user-centred approach that connects digital information to real services, communicates uncertainty and protects sensitive data. Proposed features should be validated locally and should never imply that technology alone guarantees safety or institutional action.

11. References and Source Notes

1. Ministry of Women and Child Development — One Stop Centre Scheme. Official/source page
2. Ministry of Women and Child Development — Mission Shakti. Official/source page
3. Press Information Bureau, 12 March 2025 — operational count of OSCs as of the date of the release. Official/source page

12. Research and Ethics Declaration

No original interviews, surveys, participant recruitment or field observations were conducted for this report. No participant quotations have been invented. Claims are limited to the listed sources and their stated scope. Verify current official materials, source metadata and local procedures before external publication or implementation.

Disclaimer

DISCLAIMER — INDEPENDENT RESEARCH DOCUMENT. Prepared privately by Digital Catalyzt as part of an independent research and product-design programme related to women’s safety and the proposed VETRIPEN service. For research, education, discussion and preliminary product planning only. Unless expressly stated and documented, this document has not undergone independent peer review and is not a journal publication, government statement, legal opinion, medical or psychological assessment, or formal investigation. Claims are limited to the sources and scope stated; sources may contain limitations, errors, incomplete data or later revisions. Hypothetical examples must not be represented as real events or interviews. Legal and policy discussion is general information, not legal advice. Proposed VETRIPEN features are design hypotheses unless independently evaluated. This document does not guarantee prevention of harm, emergency response, message delivery, confidentiality in every circumstance or any particular outcome. Readers should assess cited evidence, limitations and local context independently.

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