One Stop Centre (Sakhi)

What is a One Stop Centre (Sakhi)?

One Stop Centre, known publicly as Sakhi, is a facility set up by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to give a woman affected by violence everything she needs in one building. Before One Stop Centres existed, a woman who had been assaulted had to go to a hospital for treatment, a police station to complain, a lawyer or legal services authority for legal help, and a shelter home for a safe place to sleep: four separate journeys, usually in a single day and often after a night of violence.

According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the One Stop Centre scheme has been implemented with effect from 1 April 2015 to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence and in distress, in both private and public spaces, under one roof. The scheme was originally funded from the Nirbhaya Fund. Since the restructuring of the Ministry's schemes, the One Stop Centre is a component of the 'Sambal' sub-scheme under the umbrella scheme Mission Shakti.

Progress reported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development shows the scale: 812 One Stop Centres were operational as of 31 January 2025, having assisted more than 10.80 lakh women since inception, and by 30 March 2026 the reported figures had grown to 969 centres operational and over 14.19 lakh women assisted since the scheme began.

For the wider scheme this component sits inside, see our separate guide to Mission Shakti.

What services does a One Stop Centre provide?

A One Stop Centre delivers five core services, all free of charge.

1. Emergency response and rescue. The centre coordinates with police, hospital ambulance services and the 181 helpline to bring a woman to safety.

2. Medical aid. The centre refers the woman to the nearest hospital for treatment and for a medico-legal examination where an offence is involved, and accompanies her through it.

3. Police assistance. Staff help the woman file an FIR or a domestic incident report and liaise with the local police station. Many centres have video conferencing facilities so that a statement can be recorded for the police or a magistrate without the woman travelling.

4. Legal aid and advice. The centre links the woman to a lawyer through the District Legal Services Authority and helps her file petitions under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, maintenance claims and other proceedings.

5. Psycho-social counselling. A trained counsellor works with the woman on her immediate safety plan and her longer-term options, and follows up on the case.

Alongside these, the centre provides temporary shelter, short stay, generally up to five days, and a case management and referral system that tracks what happens next.

The staffing pattern at a One Stop Centre typically includes a Centre Administrator, case workers, a counsellor, a paralegal or legal counsellor, IT staff, multipurpose helpers and security guards, so that the centre can function 24 hours a day.

Who is eligible for One Stop Centre support?

You can go to a One Stop Centre if:

• You are a woman or girl who has faced violence of any kind; physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or economic — whether at home, at work, in the community or in a public space.
• You are in distress and need medical, legal, police or counselling help connected with that violence.
• You are of any age. A girl below 18 is assisted too, with the Child Welfare Committee and Child Helpline 1098 involved as the Juvenile Justice Act and POCSO Act require.
• You have no documents, no FIR, no money and no one with you. A One Stop Centre may not refuse assistance for lack of identity proof.

Caste, class, religion, education, marital status, income, language and place of origin make no difference. A woman from another district or another state is entitled to the same help.

Who cannot use a One Stop Centre:

• Men cannot apply to be assisted as clients. The One Stop Centre is a women-only facility by design. A man can, and should, call 181 or 112 on behalf of a woman in danger.
• A woman needing long-term residential care is not eligible to stay beyond the short-stay period at the centre itself; she is referred to a Shakti Sadan or another shelter home under Mission Shakti's Samarthya sub-scheme.
• The centre is not a source of cash benefit. It does not pay compensation. Where a woman is entitled to victim compensation, the centre helps her apply to the State Victim Compensation Scheme through the legal services authority, which is a separate process with its own criteria.

How to apply for or reach One Stop Centre help

1. Call 181, the toll-free Women Helpline, from any phone. It works 24 hours and is free. In an immediate life-threatening emergency call 112 instead.
2. Tell the operator where you are and what has happened. The operator connects you to the nearest One Stop Centre and, where needed, to police or an ambulance.
3. Alternatively, walk into the One Stop Centre in your district. No appointment, referral, FIR or fee is needed, and centres accept women at any hour.
4. Give your details to the case worker, who opens a case file. Say clearly what you want, medical help, a police complaint, legal advice, counselling, a safe place to sleep, or several of these.
5. Accept the medical referral if you have been injured or assaulted. Getting examined early matters, both for your health and for any case you may later file.
6. Meet the counsellor and the legal counsellor and decide what steps you want taken. Nothing is done without your consent except where the law compels reporting, as with a minor under the POCSO Act.
7. Stay in the temporary shelter for up to five days if you need it, and ask the centre to arrange a referral to a longer-stay shelter if the situation at home has not become safe.
8. Keep the case number the centre gives you and use it for follow-up. The centre is required to track the case, not simply hand you a phone number.

A woman may also be brought to the centre by the police, a hospital, a court, an NGO, a Child Welfare Committee or a family member. Referral by any of these routes is treated exactly the same as a walk-in.

Where do One Stop Centres fit among other helplines?

Sexual harassment at the workplace has its own route: complaints can be filed online through SHe-Box at shebox.wcd.gov.in, which forwards the complaint to the Internal Committee or Local Committee with jurisdiction.

Help and grievance redressal

• Women Helpline: 181, toll-free, 24 hours
• Emergency Response Support System: 112
• Child Helpline: 1098
• District Programme Officer or District Women and Child Development Officer, for complaints about how a One Stop Centre treated you
• Mission Shakti portal: missionshakti.wcd.gov.in, technical support at techsupport-shakti@gov.in and 011-23388074
• State Women's Commission and the National Commission for Women for escalation

Every service at a One Stop Centre is free. If any staff member asks you for money, for a share of a compensation claim, or for your bank details, report it to the District Programme Officer, that is not part of the scheme.