Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence in Madhya Pradesh (Gharelu Hinsa Ki Pidita Ke Liye Sahayata Yojana)

What assistance does Madhya Pradesh give victims of domestic violence?

Madhya Pradesh delivers assistance to victims of domestic violence through the Women and Child Development Department rather than through a single named cash scheme. Readers searching for "Gharelu Hinsa Ki Pidita Ke Liye Sahayata Yojana" are usually looking for the practical support a woman facing violence at home can get in the state, and that support is real, free and available all year.

This is an important clarification to make plainly: the current published scheme list of the Madhya Pradesh Women and Child Development Department does not contain a standalone benefit scheme under that name. The department's own site lists Ladli Behna Yojana, Ladli Laxmi Yojana, Lado Abhiyan, Shaurya Dal, Mukhya Mantri Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana and the Chief Minister's Community Leadership Capacity Development Programme as its state schemes, and delivers violence-related support through the centrally sponsored Mission Shakti components. Anyone promising a fixed cash payment under a scheme of this name, in exchange for a fee, is misleading you.

What Madhya Pradesh does provide is a chain of services, and a woman is entitled to all of them without paying anything.

Who can and cannot use this support?

You can seek this support if:

• You are a woman living in Madhya Pradesh who is facing violence, harassment, threats or economic deprivation within a domestic relationship.
• You are a woman in a shared household. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 covers wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, widows and women in relationships in the nature of marriage.
• You have dependent children affected by the same situation; they can be admitted with you.
• You need help at any hour, the 181 helpline and One Stop Centres operate round the clock.

Who cannot apply / who is not eligible:

• Men cannot apply. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and the services built around it protect women only. A man facing domestic abuse must use the general criminal law route through the police.
• Women resident outside Madhya Pradesh cannot be admitted to a Madhya Pradesh Shakti Sadan as a matter of routine and should approach the One Stop Centre or helpline in their own state.
• Disputes that are purely property or commercial in nature, with no domestic relationship involved, are not eligible under this route.

No income limit, caste condition or education requirement applies. A woman does not need a Samagra ID, an FIR or a lawyer to ask for help.

What are the four routes to help?

1. Women Helpline 181. Madhya Pradesh runs the 181 women's helpline under Mission Shakti. The helpline records the complaint, gives immediate telephone counselling, and connects the caller to the police, a One Stop Centre, or a shelter. For an immediate police emergency, 112 is the number to use.

2. One Stop Centre (Sakhi Kendra). One Stop Centres bring police assistance, medical examination and treatment, legal aid, psycho-social counselling and up to five days of temporary shelter together in one place, so a woman does not have to travel between offices while in crisis. Centres operate at district level under Mission Shakti.

3. Shakti Sadan. Shakti Sadan provides longer-term shelter to women in difficult circumstances. According to the Madhya Pradesh Women and Child Development Department, Shakti Sadan offers shelter, nutrition, clothing, health facilities, legal advice and other necessary services along with rehabilitation support, and serves destitute women, women released from prison, women affected by natural disasters, survivors of violence and women in exploitative situations. Madhya Pradesh currently operates 14 Shakti Sadan facilities across 13 districts, including Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Ujjain. Shakti Sadan was established under Mission Shakti in July 2022, replacing the earlier Swadhar Greh scheme, and is funded on a 60:40 centre-state cost-sharing basis.

4. Protection Officer under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005. Every district in Madhya Pradesh has a Protection Officer, ordinarily an officer of the Women and Child Development Department. The Protection Officer records a Domestic Incident Report, files it with the magistrate, and helps the woman seek orders from the court.

What orders can a magistrate pass?

The monetary and practical relief in domestic violence cases comes from the court, not from a departmental scheme. Under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 a magistrate can pass:

• A protection order restraining the respondent from committing further violence or contacting the woman.
• A residence order securing the woman's right to stay in the shared household, or requiring alternative accommodation.
• A monetary relief order covering losses, medical expenses and maintenance. The amount is decided case by case; there is no fixed statutory figure.
• A custody order for the children.
• A compensation order for injuries, including mental torture.

This is why no single "maximum benefit amount" can honestly be published for domestic violence assistance in Madhya Pradesh, the money depends on what the magistrate orders in the individual case.

How to get help: step by step

1. Call 181 — the Madhya Pradesh Women Helpline; or 112 if you are in immediate physical danger. You do not need to have any document in hand.
2. Go to the nearest One Stop Centre (Sakhi Kendra) in your district headquarters, or ask the helpline to arrange transport. The centre will arrange a medical examination if you have been injured, and give you a safe place to stay while the next steps are decided.
3. Ask for the district Protection Officer and have a Domestic Incident Report recorded. This is the document that starts a case under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and it does not commit you to a criminal prosecution.
4. Request admission to a Shakti Sadan if you need shelter beyond the short stay a One Stop Centre offers, or if returning home is unsafe.
5. Ask about Mukhya Mantri Mahila Sashaktikaran Yojana at the District Programme Officer's office. That scheme provides free skill training to women in distress, including survivors of violence, and is the state's route to making a woman financially independent after she leaves.
6. Keep copies of the Domestic Incident Report, medical papers and any court order. These are what you will need at every later stage.

Common problems and how to deal with them

• Being told to "compromise" and go home. A woman is entitled to have a Domestic Incident Report recorded regardless. Escalate to the District Programme Officer if the Protection Officer refuses.
• No One Stop Centre nearby. Call 181 first; the helpline can direct you to the nearest functioning centre and arrange the referral.
• Shakti Sadan admission refused for lack of documents. Emergency admission does not depend on producing Aadhaar. Identity verification is completed after admission.
• No money to pursue the case. Legal aid through the District Legal Services Authority is free, and the One Stop Centre will make the referral.

Help and grievance redressal

• Women Helpline, Madhya Pradesh: 181
• Police emergency: 112
• National Commission for Women helpline: 7827170170
• District Programme Officer, Women and Child Development, for complaints about a One Stop Centre, Shakti Sadan or Protection Officer
• District Legal Services Authority: free legal aid
• Directorate of Women and Child Development, Bhopal, via mpwcdmis.gov.in
• CM Helpline, Madhya Pradesh, for unresolved district-level complaints

Every service described here is free. No officer, centre or agent is authorised to charge a woman for shelter, counselling, a Domestic Incident Report or a referral.