Imphal, Jun 17: 'Before coming here, my life was so miserable that I thought of committing.

But now I feel very safe and happy.

Infact my daughter thinks it is our home', said a 28-year old destitute woman who has been staying in a Short Stay Home for Destitute Women at Nongmeibung.

Sharing her experience with The Sangai Express today, the woman, who has a 3-year old daughter, said the mental torture and harassment that she had endured after her husband left her and her in-laws started ill-treating her on one hand and the refusal of her parents and brothers to accept her again as she had married to a man from another community has been able to overcome after coming to stay at the Home.

The concept of Short Stay Home is a special welfare programme taken up by the Govt of India to provide temporary shelter to destitute women between 15 to 40 years of age who have no place to go.

Such destitute women can stay for a period of three years in the Home during which they are also given training on some suitable trades to make themselves financially self reliant, look after their medical requirement and proper counselling.

The income earned from tailoring and embroidery works, weaving, agarbati making and other economic activities were given to these unfortunate women.

The Home also takes up the responsibility of providing counselling and sort out the differences between these women and their in-laws or parents so that they can go back and lead a normal life.

However, without their consent, the Home authority never try to force anyone to go back to their parents or husbands.

In case, any of these women bring along their children while coming to stay at the Home, arrangement are made for providing proper education to these children.

The Home authority also worked as broker and mediator if any of these women want to remarry and settle in life again.

G Moti Devi, Superintendent of the Short Stay Home at Nongmeibung, which is being run by All Manipur Women's Association appreciated the concept of Short Stay Home introduced by the Govt of India and said it is a save haven for destitute women.

Though established in 1991, the Short Stay Home at Nongmeibung started functioning full time from the office complex of All Manipur Women's Association at Nongmeibung since 1992.So far more than 200 destitute women have stayed and benefited from facilities given by the Home.

Presently 25 persons including the children brought along by their mothers are staying at the Home.

The total intake capacity of the Home is 30 persons.

Moti informed that the number of unmarried women coming to stay at the Home is very minimal.

Those who come to seek asylum are mostly married women who have suffered domestic violence, discrimination, young divorcees who have been forced by their parents to enter into matrimony with man much older in age or completely unknown persons, widows or those women whose husbands have deserted them for another woman.

The Short Stay Home at Nongmeibung is being funded by the Centre through Manipur State Social Welfare Advisory Board.

Comment