Inaugurated on Tuesday, the Savitribai Phule Gender Resource Centre (SPGRC), located at Elphinstone Road, will work towards a violence free, safe and gender-friendly city.
With an aim to make Mumbai women friendly, a group of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees has come together to start the first ever gender resource centre by the civic body. Inaugurated on Tuesday, the Savitribai Phule Gender Resource Centre (SPGRC), located at Elphinstone Road, will work towards a violence free, safe and gender-friendly city.
Coordinated by the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PSH) committee, the centre’s main aim is to empower women. “Such centres do exist but they are run by NGOs. This is the first centre set up by the civic body,” said Dr Kamaxi Bhate from KEM Hospital, who is the secretary of the SPGRC as well as PSH.
The PSH committee was set up in 2003 and it consists of members holding varied posts in the BMC. While this committee will continue to be the core committee for this new centre, several NGOs will also be roped in to carry out various programmes. The Stri Mukti Sangatna, Akshara and Lawyers Collective have already tied up with the centre.
“The sexual harassment committee takes up the related cases. However, this centre will provide over all support to the women so that they know their rights and are groomed to fight against the wrong,” said Dr Suhasini Nagda, dean of Nair Dental Hospital, who is the chairperson of the SPGRC.
To start with, the 9,000 square feet centre located on a BMC plot will provide legal counselling through lawyers in all aspects — be it domestic or property related. The centre also has a women-oriented library started by Akshara, a reading room where school girls can study and a computer training room for women who aspire to get into the computer field.
“There are so many BMC schemes for women. But they do not know about them. The centre will provide them with all such information and also help them in applying for the schemes,” said Bhate adding that the initiative will prove beneficial for the women from poor families.
A community video unit at the centre will train women and young girls in shooting short video clips based on the daily problems they face — dowry harassment, eve teasing, domestic violence, etc. These short films will be further used for spreading awareness in schools and colleges.The centre has an adolescent girl initiative which will provide medical help to young girls. “The girls have plenty of question related to their growth, physical changes and other health aspects which will be covered here,” added Bhate.
A community psychiatry unit headed by Dr Shubhangi Parkar, head of department of Psychological Medicine, KEM Hospital, will take care of emotional and metal problems faced by women due to excessive stress and negativity. “There is very less awareness about mental health among women, especially from the poor section. They are depressed, stressed, overworked but they don’t understand it. We will provide them with the necessary help through our sessions,” said Parkar.
Savitribai Phule Gender Resource Centre (SPGRC), Rajgruha Cooperative Society, Balshet Madurkar Marg, Elphinstone (West), Mumbai- 400013
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