A spate of violence against senior citizens had been rocking the city of Mumbai from 1999 onwards. Apart from fatal attacks, many forms of violent abuse to elders have also been recorded on the Dignity HELPLINE --the only place to record abuse to elders and obtain redressal in Mumbai.

Dignity Foundation was approached by Mumbai Police in 1999 to undertake action programmes to educate senior citizens in security. Dignity Foundation already has a networking service of correcting the errant behaviour of children who ill treat their parents on Project Helpine. In 1999 to combat the security problems of elders who live alone, Dignity Foundation started a separate action programme of Security with Dignity, inaugurated by the then Jt.Commissioner of Police Shri. J Shivanandan.

STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK THAT WAS ESTABLISHED

1. A database of Elders who are living alone day and night or just during the day alone has been under preparation. Dignity Foundation calls for such Elders to register with the Foundation, through a specially installed SECURITY HELPINE and record their name, address, and domestic details of vendors and service providers to the flats of the elderly .
2. Dignity Foundation enrols new volunteers and utilises the time of already enrolled volunteers in its other networks to hold locality level meetings where the Police are called upon to interact with the senior citizens of the area. Dignitarians' will by and large keep enrolling new member volunteers to keep a watch on other elders residing in their locality. The volunteers are enrolled to:
   
   • Make friendly visits to the elders
   • Call them up periodically
   • Keep a tab on domestic helps and service providers

3. A number of Jeshta Nagrik Sunwayi programmes have been held in various localities.

However there is a need to put a wider network in place, with more intensive systems set- up for an effective reach-out and response.

A new initiative is now put in place with a view to combat the growing incidence of murder of senior citizens in Mumbai. A proposal was sent in Feb 2008 to Jt. Police Commissioner offering Dignity Foundation's volunteer support for bringing elderly living alone into a NETWORK for purposes of Police Protection.

DIGNITY-MUMBAI POLICE Initiative

Objectives

1. Every senior citizen is sensitised to the need to ensure security. (At the moment there is complacence. Till violence strikes them senior citizens do not realise it can happen to them too.)
2. Every senior citizen in Mumbai knows that there is someone whom he/she can approach and go to when required to ensure his security.
3. He/she will also know that to achieve that status he/she also has to contribute and PLAY A ROLE to keep himself protected. ( Not a passive beneficiary; but an active participant)
4. To create a NETWORK of such senior citizens whom volunteers of Dignity Foundation offer a variety of customized services
   
5. And introduce senior citizens to the nearest Police Station in a Monthly Neighbourhood Meet

Goal

• Every Elder (60+) living in Coop.Hsg Societies will be reached out and contacted - an estimated 2 lakh population
• In each of the 87 Police Stations the Monthly Neighbourhood Meet will take place when senior citizens will meet at the Police Station Inspector/Sub-Inspector on a regular basis.

Action Programme

• A massive publicity programme announces Dignity-MUMBAI POLICE Plan for Senior Citizens' Security. This will result in:
• Phone calls to Dignity Helpline - So we set up a RESPONSE system to attend to these calls.
• Simultaneously we launch a REACH-OUT programme to contact elders who do not respond to the newspaper publicity.
• RESPONSE and REACH-OUT are two sides of the same coin. We respond to people who call. But we do not confine to them. We spread our net wide, reach out to elders living alone. And extend Security cover.

What is the Dignity Plan for Security

• We will Register every service provider who visits the house of the Elderly - name/address/photo detail
• About 87 teams of Dignity Warden Groups will make it happen
• The addresses will remain with Dignity Foundation for use of the Police when needed. Or the DCP can make arrangements to receive such info regularly. We would like to part with such info at the DCP level.
• Dignity Foundation will also provide "Registered Vendors/ or Service Providers" to an Elder desirous of seeking dependable service providers. These providers are those who have gone through the police verification processes through Dignity Foundation.
• Registering

A decentralised database of Service Providers who visit the house of the senior citizens (Police Station-wise) is to be prepared by Dignity Warden Groups:

• Milkman
• Dhobi/ Isthri wala
• Newspaper vendor
• Postmen
• Videowala
• Vegetable vendor
• Security company
• Domestic helps
• Cooks
• Any other

All 87 Police Station-areas will be covered as on ongoing activity. Road after Road. Dignity Warden Groups

Two senior (Dignitarians ) wardens will form the Team which will do the visiting. Five such teams will work in each Police Station. Dignity Foundation will submit the names and addresses of such Dignity Foundation volunteers.

• The Group has to make visits to Coop. Hsg Society after Cooperative Housing Society - thrice a week for about 3 hours per visit. The Corporate Volunteer, wherever we are able to find them, oversees the work of the Group and helps in computerisation of data brought in by the Group.
• The same Group also services Helpline calls received in the Foundation.

Addresses

The database will be maintained and kept at the Foundation for use of the Police when needed or the DCP can make arrangements to receive such information regularly. e would like to part with such information at the DCP level.

Foundation will also provide Registered Vendors / Service Providers to an Elder desirous of seeking dependable service providers.

Collecting the details of the 10 categories of vendors is the real work of the groups.

With about 800 dedicated Dignitarians supported by Corporate Volunteers this project will aim to create what in the West is popularly called Neighbourhood Watch.

5 Criteria for Success of the Project:

1. Large number of volunteers who should be motivated , through celebrity endorsements and tie-up, to take up Neighbourhood Watch
2. Systems development at the HO of Dignity for the database of senior citizens.
3. Media's frequent reference to MUMBAI POLICE's Protection Programme and why there is a need to protect one's own security-that security does not come by itself, the senior citizens have to TAKE ACTION AND get INTO THE NETWORK OF PROTECTION
4. Large number of leaflets reaching the doorstep of every senior citizen in the city -leaflet having volunteer numbers, emergency numbers, alarm system companies, grill fixing companies etc. - all of whom would have been registered by Dignity Foundation
5. Dignity Foundation preparing a Service Provider Roster for taking essential services to the door step of the senior citizens - Plumber, Electrician, TV repairwala, Video repairwala etc.

Time Duration of the Project: 24 months