The Province 2 government in 2010 had decided to set up a one-stop crisis centre in every hospital to provide health examination, counselling and treatment to victims of gender violence. However, the centre was established at the Provincial Hospital in Janakpur only around seven months ago, on May 21. The programme has yet to be implemented in several districts.

Despite the delay in its establishment, the centre has been a success, said KD Das, one of the doctors who work at the centre. “We duly examine the health of gender violence victims and prepare reports based on it. The victims visit the centre voluntarily with the help of police and various social organisations,” said Das.

According to him, the centre complies with the guidelines for the crisis centre, which range from protecting the victims’ information to providing them with medical treatment and preparing fair health report for investigation.

Das claimed that victims of gender violence have been encouraged to share their ordeals and get treatment with the establishment of the one-stop crisis management centre.

According to data available at the centre, 329 gender violence victims, including a man, have received services from the centre since its establishment in May. The centre administration said 32 victims had been referred to other hospitals for further treatment. As many as 23 victims of sexual assault were brought to the centre from mid-November to mid-December, the data shows.

Shiva Paswan, a relative of a gender violence victim from Dhanusha district, told the Post that the victim received quick and effective services from the centre.

The centre provides free treatment to the victims, sends them to safe houses if needed, and also gives them travel expenses.

However, the programme remains to be implemented in several districts of the province. “The government’s decision could not be implemented due to a lack of budget, shortage of manpower and other resources, and lack of training,” said Dr Pramod Kumar Yadav, the outgoing director of the provincial health directorate.

The provincial government has allocated Rs 2 million to the centre in Janakpur in the current fiscal year.