Toronto: The Consulate General of India has setup a dedicated One Stop Centre for Women (OSCW) in Toronto in Canada.  This centre will assist Indian women facing distress, covering issues including domestic violence, abuse, family conflict, abandonment, exploitation and legal challenges.

The Indian Consulate General in Toronto Centre in a statement said that it will operate from the Indian mission in Toronto. The One Stop Centre will provide coordinated, beneficiary-centred assistance by connecting aggrieved women to timely and appropriate pathways of support, including immediate counselling, facilitation of psycho-social support, and coordination of legal assistance and advice, while helping women access relevant community and social-service resources in Canada. Entire intervention by the OSCW will be within the purview of Local Laws in Canada.

“The Centre would be run by a woman Centre Administrator who will ensure the delivery of safe, dignified, and comprehensive assistance to women in need (on means tested basis) through prompt handling of distress calls via 24×7 helpline. This inter-alia would include Counseling and emotional support through empanelled NGOs. All the financial assistance will be on means tested basis as per Government of India’s Rules, said statement.

This move came days after a 30 year old Indian-origin woman, Himanshi Khurana, was found murdered in Toronto. The Canadian police issued a nationwide arrest warrant for 32-year-old Abdul Ghafoori, a resident of Toronto, who was known to the victim, in connection with the killing.