The State government on Wednesday informed the Madras High Court that as many as 616 complaints of domestic violence were received through helplines, Anganwadi workers and protection officers between March 25 and May 14.
Justices M. Sathyanarayanan and Anita Sumanth were also informed that Social Welfare Secretary S. Madumathi had created a WhatsApp group, titled Thai Veedu, to get first-hand information from district-level officials on complaints of domestic violence.
The submissions were made in an additional status report filed in response to a PIL petition filed by advocate Sudha Ramalingam, seeking effective implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
After filing of the case, the government filed a detailed status report in the court, listing out measures taken by it to ensure the safety and security of women, since domestic violence complaints were on the rise during the lockdown. The report stated that the government had roped in Anganwadi workers to obtain information related to domestic violence since they served at the grassroots level and would be the right people to pass on information to higher officials.
