New Delhi (Sputnik) — India's first help line for inter-caste or inter-religion couples facing harassment and threats of honor killing has started functioning. The helpline was set up by the police in Madurai city of southern state Tamil Nadu after a court order.
The toll-free hotline number is linked to an emergency response team who will take action in cases where couples feel threatened by their families. Experts say while the hotline is a positive development, its implementation will be key to its success. But any long-term solution to the problem cannot happen without change in mindsets.
"The helpline is welcome and positive, but how quickly the police can respond to emergency situations needs to be seen. And there are limits to a security-centric approach in issues which will require generational shift in societal mindsets," Dr Poonam Utam, Assistant Professor, at the University of Lucknow, told Sputnik.
In April 2016, the Madras High Court, while passing a judgment over a case of honor killing directed the State to create Special Cells in every district to receive petitions and complaints pertaining to harassment and threat to inter-caste couples.
Nearly 400 people, mostly women, have died in honor killings-related cases since 2014, according to government data. In Tamil Nadu, 47 cases related to honor killings were reported between 2010 and 2015, according to the data.
