A 45-year-old resident of west Ahmedabad experienced a shocking discovery in her home. She found insecticide powder in the sugar container and a liquid resembling phenyl on the bathroom floor on multiple occasions.
According to national media reports, the source of these disturbing acts turned out to be her 13-year-old daughter, who even threatened to kill her. Faced with such ongoing incidents, the mother felt compelled to seek help from a helpline.
A counselor from the Abhayam 181 women helpline stated, “During our conversations, we learned that the teenage girl had intentions to harm her parents. She wanted them to consume sugar laced with insecticides or slip on the slippery floor, causing head injuries. We discovered that a few days prior, the mother had confiscated her daughter’s phone and refused to return it, which triggered the violent behavior.”
The parents expressed their astonishment as they had not expected such a reaction. The helpline counselors were equally shocked, considering the parents’ efforts to provide for their daughter, who was a precious child born after 13 years of marriage. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case for the helpline.
Falguni Patel, coordinator for the Abhayam helpline, explained, “Before 2020 or the Covid pandemic, we would receive only 3-4 calls per day. However, in the past couple of years, that number has tripled to approximately 12-15 calls daily, totaling around 5,400 calls annually.
A more concerning trend involves children and teenagers, who account for about 20% of the calls received, despite the fact that we are not primarily a psychological helpline. Previously, these calls made up only 1-1.5% of the total volume until 2019, but in the past two years, they have risen to approximately 3%, which is significant.”
