Lack of awareness robs family counseling centres of clientele!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 19: The lack of clientele is a problem being faced by the family counseling centres working in Guwahati. This does not mean that the city has less family-related disputes. Rather such cases are rising at an alarming rate in the city, but the victims shy away from receiving counseling from such centres. Even the administration is not since enough in sending family-related cases to such centres.

There is such a centre at the CID office at Ulubari in Guwahati where clients seldom visit for counseling. The counselor in-charge of the centre, Gujarat Deuri said: “There’re many family disputes that can be ended to logical ends through proper counseling. However, that’s not happening due to lack of awareness among the people. In many cases, the victims are shy of visiting us or our ilk. They want to keep such incidents a secret. They aren’t aware of the fact that before knocking the door of the court their problems could be solved through counseling. When they move the court they’ve to feel the pinch.”

Only 225 such cases were received by the counseling centre at the CID office in the past three successive years – 2015, 2014 and 2013. In 2016, only 73 cases have been received by the centre so far. The cases that have been received by the family counseling centre are – the  number of marital maladjustment and psychological torture cases in 2015 was 25 against 20 in 2014 and 17 in 2013; cases relating to interference of parents/in-laws was 20 in 2015 against 12 in 2014 and 6 in 2013; cases relating to extra marital relationship was 15 in 2015 against 16 in 2014 and 5 in 2013; alcohol and drug addiction related cases was 10 in 2015 against 10 in 2014 and 12 in 2013; cases relating to cash crunch was 2 in 2015; dowry related cases was 3 in 2015 against 5 in 2014 and 11 in 2013; sexual harassment and immoral trafficking cases was 2 in 2015; reconciliatory cases was 46 in 2015 against 45 in 2014 and 27 in 2013; separation cases was 10 in 2015 against 6 in 2014 and 9 in 2013; cases referred to family courts was 3 in 2015 against 7 in 2014 and 3 in 2013; cases referred to the police was four in 2015 against 5 in 2014 and 2 in 2013 and dropout cases was 18 in 2015 against 11 in 2014 and 27 in 2013.