“Tum beech mein mat bolo, yeh unke ghar ka mamla hai”

We all must have heard this growing up. We are taught to turn a blind eye when we encounter doubts of a woman going through domestic violence. “Yeh unke ghar ka mamla hai”.

Domestic violence has been an open secret in our country. Recently, I came across a video on social media which sent shivers down my spine. A man in Kerala held the bruised face of his wife and announced on camera that he is the one who has beaten her up and broken her mouth. The wife then said, he did that because she chose to go to work.

According to NCRB data, there has been a 53% rise in domestic violence cases in India. These are just reported cases.I can't even imagine what the real numbers are. And even more shockingly, 86% of women who face domestic violence in India do not seek help. Why will they? The people around expect them to sort it out in their own homes. So they do, often at the cost of their own lives.

Growing up in Punjab, where drug abuse is rampant I’ve met countless women who’ve suffered domestic abuse. None of these women were aware of the domestic abuse national helpline 181. Many of them aren’t literate, so their access to information is anyway limited. But there is one common thread that ties them all together: They regularly use Zomato & Blinkit to order food and groceries for their families.

I can imagine thousands of women in India feeling empowered and having the agency to speak up if Zomato and Blinkit could  display the domestic abuse national helpline number on their apps. It would be a subtle yet powerful gesture of solidarity towards the millions of Indian women who face domestic abuse. They’d appreciate the message and maybe,  before having to order food for their perpetrators, they could try and call 181 and seek help.  

Zomato has over 32 million users in our country and Blinkit delivers over one lakh orders everyday. Imagine how many women could make use of this! I feel this step from Zomato and Blinkit could help save many lives. 

Sign my petition to  request Zomato and Blinkit, the popular food delivery companies, to display domestic abuse national helpline 181 prominently on their app screens so that women facing domestic abuse know where to seek help in case of danger. 

Spreading awareness about this helpline can ensure that nobody has to live with violence at home. If you sign my petition, then Zomato and Blinkit will listen.