While not always true, it is usually women or children who are targets of abuse within the home, though there could be men too. 

It is important all victims of gender-based violence have recourse to shelter and means to complain, combat, stop or get away from the abuse. The OSCs, when looking at them through a pragmatic prism, are necessary and the announcement that more OSCs are to be opened, does show that there may be a solid commitment to giving women a way out of abuse. 

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It is a sad commentary on us as a society and nation though, that these centres are needed and even more are being planned for women in distress. It is practical to have these helplines and centres but it is important that we  make efforts to create awareness about violence, any and all forms of it. 

Real change means prevention of gender-based violence, though that may be Utopian, say some. So, currently more centres are needed but when we have fewer centres or fewer calls to helplines because they are genuinely not needed any more, as there is no abuse, that is the day we can say there is real progress.