As women’s health discourse broadens to include emotional safety and psychological well-being, a Bengaluru-based platform is turning attention to a largely unreported reality. Abuse, often embedded within homes, workplaces and intimate relationships, continues to remain under-acknowledged despite its deep impact on mental health.

Positioning itself within this gap, iDare offers a discreet, technology-enabled support system that allows women and other vulnerable individuals to seek timely help without risking visibility or delay. Founded by Vaamaa Baldota, iDare operates as a mobile-based platform that connects users to therapists, legal advisors and trained listeners through chat, calls and email. Its premise is simple, yet consequential. Support must be accessible at the moment a person gathers the courage to reach out.

Vaamaa is is a Development Studies graduate from the University of California, Berkeley with over a decade of work in women’s empowerment and mental health. Recognised by Kiran Bedi, she has received awards from Plan India and The Hindu BusinessLine and founded DARE (2014) and iDare (2020).

“The gap was not only in availability of services, but in the way survivors were received,” Vaamaa says: “Many are met with judgement or subtle blame, even within formal systems. We wanted to build a first point of contact that responds with care, without pushing decisions.”

Her work comes at a time when women’s health is being seen in a broader way. Mental distress linked to domestic violence, coercive relationships and workplace harassment is increasingly recognised as a public health concern. Yet, pathways to support remain uneven, particularly for those who cannot safely seek help in person.

iDare attempts to bridge that gap through anonymity and immediacy. The platform allows users to connect without disclosing their identity, a feature that Vaamaa describes as essential rather than optional. In many cases, she notes, even accessing a phone call can carry risk if the abuser controls finances or monitors communication.

The scale of engagement offers a glimpse into the demand. The platform currently has over 26,000 active users and has conducted more than 5,000 therapy sessions alongside many emotional support interactions. iDare conducts workshops in schools, colleges and workplaces, helping individuals recognise patterns of harm in their own lives.

What emerges from this engagement is a pattern that challenges common assumptions. Abuse is rarely inflicted by strangers. “In most cases, it is someone the individual already knows. Family members, partners, colleagues,” Vaamaa says. Emotional and psychological harm, including manipulation and control, forms a significant share of concerns reported on the platform.

This has direct implications for women’s health. Prolonged exposure to such environments often manifests as anxiety, sleep disorders, reduced self-worth and in some cases, chronic health conditions. However, the decision to seek legal recourse remains complex. According to Vaamaa, only a small proportion of users move towards formal complaints, often after months of counselling. “Legal action is not always the first or right step for everyone. Our role is to provide clarity and support, so individuals can make informed choices at their own pace,” she explains.

The platform does not follow a fixed path. Users may begin with workshops or content, seek emotional support, or move to therapy, legal help, or financial guidance. It also offers life coaching and wellness support such as nutrition and yoga.

Therapy sessions

Affordability remains a critical consideration. While therapy sessions are priced between ₹500 and ₹1500, emotional support through chat and calls is offered free of cost, particularly for those who may not have financial autonomy.

Vaamaa’s own trajectory offers insight into the platform’s grounding. Her earlier initiative, DARE, reached hundreds of thousands of school children with awareness programmes on personal safety and abuse. It aimed at providing self-defense training, legal awareness and safe-space conversations in schools and colleges across Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana and Delhi. That exposure revealed how stigma shapes silence. “The challenge is often internalised. Many people do not immediately recognise what they are experiencing as abuse,” she says. “That delays help-seeking, sometimes for years.”

iDare currently offers support in many Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali, alongside English. The aim, says Vaamaa, is to ensure that geography or linguistic comfort does not become a barrier.

Even as digital tools expand reach, Vaamaa remains clear about the limits of automation. “Technology enables access, but the work itself is deeply human. Healing happens through conversation, through being heard without judgement,” she says.

Looking ahead, the platform plans to deepen its presence beyond metros and expand offline interventions. There is also an emphasis on prevention through education, particularly in workplaces and institutions where early awareness can alter outcomes.

(iDare helpline: 77956 88100; available Monday to Saturday from 8am to 10pm).