The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Suicide not a means to end crime against women

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Mar 11, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Suicide not a means to end crime against women

A network of community volunteers set up by Sangamam helps in checking crimes against women, says SANDHYA SOMAN

Kavitha, 26, has no hesitation showing her burn marks if it means preventing someone from committing self-immolation. She also talks to her friends and neighbours about how not to give into the urge to end their lives when they are tired of taking on hostile in-laws or drunken spouses.

Kavitha is part of the network of community volunteers set up by Sangamam, an extension project of Stella Maris College, working in north Chennai.

The network was set up after the police sought Sangamam and other non-governmental organisations' help in checking crimes against women, particularly attempts to take their own lives.

North Chennai accounts for a number of such instances, according to the police and activists working in the area. According to project coordinator Mohan Raj, there were 38 cases of deaths between December 2005 and January 2006 in zones 14 and 17 alone.

Most of the victims were women and self-immolation the preferred way, recalls Mr. Raj.

Additional deputy commissioner (Prohibition Enforcement wing, North Madras) R. Lalithalakshmi says, the hospitals intimate the police every day about at least four cases of attempted self-immolation, mostly women.

Most of the attempts, say police and activists, stem from fault lines in relationships.

"Desertion, suspicion and extra-marital affairs are common," he says. Alcoholism adds to the heady mixture with many women unable to communicate their angst and problems to their inebriated spouses.

P.V. Sankaranarayanan of Sneha, an organisation working in the field of suicide prevention, says he came across a young woman in the course of an awareness programme, who said she does not have the "time or energy" to resolve issues with her husband, who comes home drunk.

In the absence of a support system or ready helpline, the frustrated person's immediate reaction is to commit suicide.

Recounts Kavitha: "My husband had an extra-marital affair and started shouting at me when I asked him about that. That day, I felt that he doesn't respect me at all and there is nobody to care for me."

Kavitha was rescued from the flames and she is now re-united with her husband.

Recently, the police, along with NGOs started a massive awareness programme on January 31, which will go on till April 4. R. Nataraj, Greater Chennai Police Commissioner says: "We have been receiving a lot of petitions from North Chennai concerning crime against women.

The awareness programme is to tell people about the various support systems other than the existing mobile counselling centres."

While police are planning to regularly monitor the area by an enhanced mobile counselling unit, activists say de-addiction centres should also set up helpdesks and organise programmes in North Chennai.

"What they need is care and support at the crucial moment apart from helpline numbers such as 1097 (police helpline), 044-28352345 (Sneha)," says Mr. Sankaranarayanan.

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