All public medical colleges to have one-stop crisis centres

Women and Children Affairs Minister AZM Zahid Hossain yesterday said the government will set up One-Stop Crisis Centres in all 37 government medical colleges to provide comprehensive support to women and children victims of violence.

“This will expand the scope of services and address the demand that exists,” he said.

He added that the plan includes setting up OCCs in all 64 districts and eventually in every upazila across the country.

Responding to a notice raised by Nipun Roy Chowdhury MP under Rule 70 of the Rules of Procedure in parliament, the minister shared the information.

At present, OCCs are operating in 15 medical colleges, while 95 One-Stop Crisis Cells are in place -- 30 at district hospitals and 65 at upazila health complexes.

OCCs provide victims with integrated services including medical care, psychological counselling, legal advice, safe shelter, and rehabilitation.

MP Nipun highlighted statistics from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNFPA’s 2024 Violence Against Women Survey, which found that 76 percent of women in Bangladesh have experienced violence at least once from a husband or intimate partner, while 62 percent never disclosed their experiences.

In reply, Minister Zahid explained that OCCs were initially launched in eight medical colleges and have since expanded to 15. Each centre is staffed with 22 personnel, including four doctors, six nurses, four police officers, a clinical psychologist, a legal officer, one computer operator, and support staff.

He informed that 81,928 people have received services so far -- 49,767 survivors of physical assault, 31,596 survivors of sexual violence, and 565 burn victims.