NCW Launches New Helpline Number 14490

Entry Date: 26 Nov2025 at 5:00 PM by PIB Delhi//Ministry of Women and Child Development

Another New Initiative to Reach Out to Women in Distress

New Delhi: November 26, 2025: (PIB Delhi//Women's Screen Desk):

Despite numerous efforts and initiatives by the government, the number of crimes against women shows no sign of decreasing. Therefore, it is repeatedly felt that more steps need to be taken. Considering this need, a new helpline number has now been launched. There is not only hope but also complete confidence that this number will help in curbing crimes against women.

The National Commission for Women has rolled out a new 24×7 short code helpline — 14490 to ensure quicker and more accessible support for women in distress across the country. This toll-free number serves as an easy-to-recall short code connected to NCW’s existing helpline 7827170170, enabling women to seek assistance without any cost or delay.

The new short code strengthens NCW’s ongoing efforts to provide immediate help to women facing violence, harassment, or any form of distress. As the first point of contact, the helpline will continue to offer guidance, facilitate coordination with relevant authorities, and support timely intervention.

NCW encourages citizens, community groups, institutions, and partners to widely share this information so that more women are aware of the helpline services available to them at all times.

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Bakery industry helps girls stand on their own feet

Demand rising in Punjab, Nagaland, Delhi and Gujarat too 

Mohali//Ludhiana:2nd October 2024: (Kartika Kalyani Singh//The Women Screen Desk)::

Apart from education and marriage, there are many other things that are needed at every step in life. The most important among these is the money earned through honest earnings, which strengthens the financial backbone and also establishes one's feet very well in the society. This is where the continuous series of other successes in life begins.

Our team had seen girls active in the world of baking a long time ago in the royal city of Punjab, Patiala. These girls came to the Kisan Mela organized there with their families. The sisters, brothers and parents of these girls were all working with them with great enthusiasm. The cakes, biscuits, pastries and many other baking items made by them were selling very quickly at their stall. They had taken all this training from Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, which made them completely self-reliant.

To start the business, the family invested a little and government departments also helped them with subsidies. Soon the business started to take off. They also started needing a house. Within a year and a half, these girls not only recovered their investment but also started making profits. Because the products were clean, fresh and tasty, their popularity also increased. Big orders for weddings and other events started coming in. They themselves did not remember when their desire to work was left behind.

Even today, in the world of baking, there is a remarkable group of girls who are not only pursuing their passion but also turning it into home businesses. Their journey is a testament to hard work, creativity and determination. These young entrepreneurs are turning their baking dreams into reality through strategic investments and innovative marketing techniques. 

Good news of similar successes of such girls has also come from Nagaland. There too, proper education and training has been arranged for them. It is in great demand in Delhi, Mumbai, Gujarat and other parts.

Education guides every case and plays a key role in their success. Many have also sought out workshops and courses that enhance their skills and broaden their understanding of the business landscape. They form strong teams, collaborate with each other to share insights and support each other’s efforts. By using various tools—whether it’s social media platforms for marketing or budgeting tools for financial management—they are creating a path that inspires others.

It’s encouraging to see how these girls uplift each other while facing challenges in the baking industry. Their stories remind us that with passion, education, and teamwork, dreams can truly grow as beautifully as freshly baked bread!

These true success stories have created a new history. A new chapter has been written. A new path has been shown. This path leads to destinations where the saying “Apna Haath Jagannath” (Holding my own hands) starts proving true.

You too should take inspiration from them. You will move from the crowd of job seekers to the category of job providers. Bakery is only one field that we have discussed. There are many other fields open whose paths and destinations are calling you.

Stay tuned to Women Screen.

Call for bold funds to end violence against women

Thursday: 23rd November 2023 at 1:34 AM

An Urgent Call by UN Women

New report showing prevention is severely underfunded  

In 2022, countries around the world spent USD 204 billion in overseas development assistance—of that sizable sum, only one-fifth of one per cent was spent on preventing gender-based violence (GBV).  

New York: 23rd November 2023: (UN Women Media//The Women Screen Desk):: 

Ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, a report “What Counts? The state of funding for the prevention of gender-based violence against women and girls” by UN Women partners the Equality Institute and the Accelerator for GBV Prevention, working together under the Collective Commitment of the Generation Equality Action Coalition on GBV reveals a concerning reality: gender-based violence, an issue of alarming proportions, garners only 0.2% of global aid and development funding.   

The report comes as the world kicks off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, from 25 November to 10 December, under the global theme set by the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign, “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”.  

As the world marks the halfway point to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the urgency to end violence against women and girls has never been greater.  UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2023 report reveals that 245 million women and girls continue to face physical and/or sexual violence from their intimate partners each year. A staggering 86 per cent of women and girls live in countries without robust legal protections against violence, or in countries where data are not available. 

Additionally, the impacts of economic crises, conflicts, and climate change have heightened the vulnerability of women and girls to violence.   

“It is time to get serious and fund what we know works to stop violence against women and girls.   Invest in reforming and implementing laws and multisectoral policies.  Provide services to survivors.  Scale up evidence-based prevention interventions. With the will and contributions of all stakeholders and sectors, we can unlock financing, track budget allocations, and increase gender-responsive budgeting. We have the solutions and resources to end violence against women and girls in our lifetimes.  It is our choice,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous at the official commemoration event for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in New York. 

A strong and autonomous feminist movement is also a crucial part of the solution. Women’s rights organizations play a pivotal role in preventing violence, advocating for policy change, and holding governments accountable. However, as per the Action Coalition on GBV’s Accountability Report, they remain severely underfunded, and significant efforts are needed to increase financial support for women’s rights organizations working in this space.  

Also, launched today, a new research brief with estimates on gender-related killings of women and girls, produced jointly by UNODC and UN Women, shows that globally, nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022, the highest yearly number recorded in the past two decades, indicating that the number of female homicides is not decreasing. Most killings of women and girls are gender motivated. In 2022, 55 per cent of the intentional killings of women (around 48,800) were committed by intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than 133 women or girls were killed every day by someone in their own family. 

16 Days of Activism  Around The World  

Through the 16 Days of Activism campaign, UN Women will be calling for increased long-term, sustainable investments from states, private sector, foundations, and other donors to women’s rights organizations working to end violence against women and girls in all their diversity. 

On November 22nd, the official commemoration event for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in New York will feature an opening address by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and remarks by UN Women’s Executive Director, and will bring together voices of Member States, women’s civil society organizations, United Nations agencies, and Leaders and Commitment Makers of the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence. In line with this year’s theme, the event will highlight best practices of investment to prevent violence against women, gaps and challenges and the way forward.   

UN Women will be also leading a global social media campaign to speak up against gender-based violence using #NoExcuse and #16Days. 

From a film festival in Rwanda, to a dialogue for young women in Sri Lanka, and film screenings in Egypt and Morocco, dozens of events organized during the 16 Days of Activism will aim to rally action to ensure a violence-free future for women and girls, symbolized by the colour orange. 

As in previous years, iconic buildings around the world are expected to be lit in orange during the 16 Days of Activism, including the Grand Place City Hall Hôtel de Ville in Brussels, Belgium, the UN House in Dakar, Senegal, the Tbilisi TV tower in Tbilisi, Georgia, and other landmark buildings across Sweden, Pakistan and other countries.