Mumbai: 19-Year-Old Sexual Abuse Survivor Faces Five-Hour Ordeal As KEM One Stop Centre Shelter Remains Non-Functional

Mumbai, August 4, 2026: A severe shortage of trained staff at the One Stop Centre (OSC) inside KEM Hospital has affected the functioning of one of Mumbai's key support facilities for women facing violence, with a recent case of a 19-year-old sexual abuse survivor highlighting the gaps in emergency shelter services.

The issue came to light after the survivor was forced to spend nearly five hours searching for a safe place on August 1 when the OSC was unable to provide emergency accommodation.

According to Majlis, which assisted the woman, she had fled after allegedly being assaulted by her stepfather and refused to return home. The NGO eventually secured shelter for her at the One Stop Centre in Jogeshwari.

Concerns Over Shelter Services

Advocate Audrey D'Mello, Director of Majlis, alleged that organisations working with survivors were never informed that shelter services at the KEM centre had been disrupted and no alternative arrangements had been put in place.

She said the absence of emergency shelter defeated the very purpose of the OSC, which is meant to provide immediate protection to women in distress.

Following the incident, Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora wrote to the BMC Commissioner seeking the immediate restoration of round-the-clock shelter services at the KEM OSC.

He said the disruption undermines the objectives of the Mission Shakti scheme and urged the civic body to ensure uninterrupted emergency support for women in crisis.

When contacted by The Free Press Journal, Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide said she would look into the matter.

Officials Cite Staff Shortage

Responding to the concerns, Shobha Shelar, District Women and Child Development Officer, Mumbai City, acknowledged that the centre is facing an acute manpower shortage after several employees resigned in March this year without prior notice after securing better employment opportunities.

She, however, denied that the centre had been shut down. "The One Stop Centre is functioning, but with limited staff. It is incorrect to say it is closed. This is one of the state's best-performing OSCs and has helped hundreds of women since it became operational in 2019. We are making every effort to restore full-fledged services," Shelar said. She added that the Dean of KEM Hospital had assured support to strengthen the centre.

Mission Shakti Support System

Launched under the Central Government's Mission Shakti programme following the 2012 Nirbhaya case, One Stop Centres provide integrated services, including medical assistance, legal aid, police facilitation, psychological counselling and temporary shelter for women affected by violence.

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Officials said the KEM OSC has struggled since an NGO that supported counsellors withdrew from the project. The NGO had been providing an additional honorarium to counsellors over and above the Central Government's remuneration.

The resulting staff shortage has affected shelter services and significantly reduced the number of cases handled by the centre—from around 100–120 cases a month earlier to about 30–40 now.

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