Accessing Free Cell Phones for Battered Women
By
Siddarth Nagaraj on May 18, 2011
Domestic abuse is a horrific phenomenon that has long plagued society and continues to be endured by millions of women across America. Mercifully, there are support structures that have been established in recent years to provide help to those who are verbally and physically maltreated. Many of these organizations provide services that range from personal counseling to financial aid to assistance in finding housing and employment. However, the path to self-empowerment involves access to many different resources, including communication devices, and it can be difficult for women who are abused to reach these. Across the U.S. and abroad, there are a number of philanthropic organizations which provide battered women with free cell phones. Such schemes first originated in the late 1990s, and have traditionally been intended to provide women with a means of communication in case of emergency, as their abusers often take control of all other methods of contact with other individuals.
Projects aimed at providing battered women with free cell phones have received support from local prosecutors and women’s rights advocacy groups nationwide. Such initiatives have also been enabled with the help of phone companies which have donated phones and agreed to give coverage to women who enroll in these programs. However, most cell phones are provided by individual donors who choose to contribute to a good cause rather than simply throw their old mobile phones away.
If you are seeking a free cell phone through one of these programs, there are a number of options available to you. Many small, local women’s shelters run their own initiatives that encourage people to donate phones. Managers of these shelters can tell you whether they provide these services and can direct you to other charitable organizations within your community that may operate similar schemes. You can also look for a free cell phone through one of the many organizations that aim to help women across the country. Cell Phones for Life, an Oklahoma-based non-profit, helps collect donated cell phones and distributes them to shelters across the United States. They also collect free phones for senior citizens and disabled.
Women who suffer abuse encounter extensive pain in their lives. A crucial part of self-protection and empowerment is access to communication, which is available in the form of free cell phones. While no one deserves to be treated in an abusive manner, it is possible for battered women to ensure that they have a safe means of contacting others without facing cost or endangering themselves.