DESI DIARY

CRITICAL SUPPORT FOR INDIAN WOMEN IN NEED

India’s Acting Consul General in Toronto Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh with community leaders, civic partners, representatives from law enforcement, speakers from community services and diverse professional fields who shared insights on safety, empowerment, and well-being of women.

Consulate General of India (CGI), Toronto Celebrate International Women’s Day in association with Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women, honouring women’s achievements while spotlighting the critical support systems for Indian women in need.

Addressing the gathering, Acting Consul General Kapidhwaja Pratap Singh highlighted the Consulate’s continued engagement with the community. He also introduced the Consulate’s One Stop Centre (OSCW) – a round-the-clock service for women in distress providing counseling services and resources for legal guidance, financial aid, medical care and safe shelter.

The event brought together community leaders, civic partners, representatives from law enforcement, speakers from community services and diverse professional fields who shared insights on safety, empowerment, and well-being of women. The event received a tremendous response and was well attended by members of the Indian diaspora.

Since the launch of OSCW on December 26, CGI Toronto has received a number of requests for assistance. To further enhance their services, the consulate is now forming two specialized panels to provide comprehensive, timely, and legal and psycho-social assistance to Indian women in Canada.

Legal Panel: Empaneled Lawyers or law firms are expected to provide legal advice to Indian women in Canada on civil, family, criminal, and immigration matters, including child custody, detention, and minor offences. Full details on the announcement, eligibility, and application process can be found here.

Mental Health Panel: Qualified mental health professionals / psychotherapists on the panel are expected to provide trauma-informed, culturally responsive counselling and psychotherapy to Indian women in Canada, addressing crises, violence, abuse, family conflict, immigration-related stress, anxiety, depression, and grief. Full details on the announcement, eligibility, and application process can be found here.