Many women in need of rehabilitation are currently placed in temporary shelter homes, but these facilities are not designed for addiction recovery
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Inside a small, dimly lit shelter home in Guwahati, 22-year-old Pooja (name changed) stares blankly at the wall in front of her. Just weeks ago, she was rescued from the railway station where she had been forced into trafficking after becoming addicted to drugs. The shelter where she now resides is meant for just a temporary stay, and she has no other place to go.
"I was promised a new life after being rescued, but where is it? I still have the same addiction, the same trauma, and no professional help," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.
Like her, many women—victims of substance abuse, trafficking, and domestic violence—are placed in temporary shelters that are not equipped to handle their trauma. With no structured support, many risk falling back into addiction or worse. As the city battles a growing drug crisis, the lack of a dedicated rehabilitation centre for women raises serious concerns about their safety and future.
Even as Assam witnesses a rising number of women falling into the grip of drug addiction, there is no government-run rehabilitation centre for women in Guwahati. The absence of such a facility has left many female drug users, victims of human trafficking, and survivors of domestic violence struggling without proper rehabilitation support.
Many women in need of rehabilitation are currently placed in temporary shelter homes, but these facilities are not designed for addiction recovery.
The lack of strict oversight on rehabilitation centres has also led to incidents of abuse. In April 2024, the owner of a drug rehabilitation centre in Guwahati, along with two others, was arrested in connection with the rape of a minor inmate. The case exposed serious lapses in monitoring private rehabilitation centres, raising serious concerns about the safety of vulnerable women and children placed in such facilities. With no government-run rehabilitation centre in the city, many are forced into unregulated private shelters, leaving them at risk of exploitation instead of recovery.
A former female drug user, who recently completed de-addiction therapy, talking to GPlus said, "Over the past three years, drug abuse among girls has increased in Assam. The situation is particularly alarming in Upper Assam, but Guwahati is now reaching a point where it feels almost out of control."
While there are a few private rehabilitation centres, the lack of a government facility means that many women in need of urgent support are either placed in shelter homes or shifted to private centres with police or government intervention. This raises serious concerns about their long-term recovery and safety.
Despite the growing crisis, Guwahati has no government-funded rehabilitation centre specifically for women. An official from the Kamrup Metro District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) confirmed this while speaking to GPlus.
"There are no government rehabilitation centres for women in Guwahati. However, there are shelter homes for female children. There is one such facility in Jalukbari, but it often struggles because it is not a rehabilitation centre. Sometimes, young girls who have been trafficked or are struggling with addiction are placed in the One Stop Sakhi Centre, but this is only a temporary shelter for five to seven days. These children and women require long-term rehabilitation, which is not available in the city," the official said.
The lack of a structured rehabilitation facility means that many young girls and women are left without proper support systems, increasing their vulnerability to relapse or further exploitation.
The One Stop Sakhi Centre in Guwahati is one of the few options available for women in distress, but its officials admit that they are not equipped to handle drug addiction cases.
"We are a shelter home, not a rehabilitation centre. Before staying in a shelter, women should ideally undergo rehabilitation, but there is no such facility in Guwahati. This makes it extremely challenging for us because we receive many female victims—drug abuse cases, human trafficking survivors, victims of domestic violence—but we do not have the capacity to provide the support they actually need. In some cases, if the person is a minor, we transfer them to private rehabilitation centres with permission from the police or the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU)," a source from the Sakhi Centre told GPlus.
This dependency on private facilities not only puts financial pressure on families but also raises concerns about the quality and accessibility of rehabilitation services.
Guwahati Police, who frequently encounter women involved in drug-related offenses, also acknowledged the lack of proper government rehabilitation centres.
"Cases of drug abuse among women have risen sharply, and many women drug peddlers who are caught are sent to private rehabilitation centres. The Social Justice and Empowerment Department monitors these cases. Whenever we conduct raids or crack down on drug networks, NGOs and officials from the Social Justice Department work with us to handle such cases," an official from Guwahati Police told GPlus.
Another senior police official added that the entire rehabilitation process is managed by the Social Justice and Social Welfare Department.
"Whenever we rescue victims or drug abusers, it is a joint operation involving our department and the Social Justice and Welfare Department. If the victim is a minor, then the District Child Protection Unit and the District Administration take charge of their rehabilitation," he said.
With no state-run facility, many women in need of rehabilitation are placed in private de-addiction centres, but these are not affordable for everyone.
Talking to GPlus, a social worker who has assisted women in getting into rehabilitation programmes said, "The biggest issue is affordability. Many women who need help the most cannot pay for private rehab. Even when they are rescued, they often end up back on the streets because there is no system in place for long-term recovery."
However, the absence of a dedicated government-run centre often complicates the process, leading to delays and uncertainty for those in need of urgent care.
Acknowledging the gap in rehabilitation services, an official from the Assam Social Justice and Empowerment Department told GPlus that proposals for two government-run rehabilitation centres have been submitted.
"We have proposed two government rehabilitation centres, and the process will move forward based on the availability of funds. We assure that steps are being taken," the official stated.
The government’s delayed response to this issue raises concerns about its commitment to tackling women’s rehabilitation and addiction recovery. Experts and activists urge authorities to fast-track the approval and funding of dedicated rehabilitation centres before the crisis worsens.
For now, women like Pooja remain in limbo, trapped between temporary shelters, addiction, and an uncertain future—with no place to truly heal.
The question remains—how long will women in Guwahati have to wait for a proper rehabilitation centre? With drug abuse, trafficking, and domestic violence cases rising, why hasn’t the government acted sooner? Can temporary shelters and expensive private centres truly replace the need for a dedicated facility? As officials discuss proposals and funding, hundreds of women continue to suffer in silence, trapped in addiction and trauma with nowhere to go. Will the authorities finally take urgent steps, or will this crisis be ignored until it spirals further out of control?
