Who is a Protection Officer?
A Protection Officer is a person who is in charge of aiding women in accessing remedies for the violence that took place against them, the person who must make sure that all services and benefits provided in the Act is being accessed by the women who survived domestic violence, as well as the person responsible for obtaining the proper order under the Act. This Act imposes certain duties and functions that a Protection Officer is expected to carry out. Let’s take a look at them.
Section 9 (1) of the Act imposes certain duties to the officer such as:-
- The Office must assist the Magistrate in carrying out his duties as set out in this Act;
- Upon the receipt of a complaint of domestic violence, the officer is required to file a domestic incident report with the Magistrate in the form and manner prescribed in the Act, and must forward those copies to the police officer in charge of the police station within the local limits of whose jurisdiction domestic violence is alleged to have occurred, as well as to service providers in the area;
- The Officer is required to file an application to the Magistrate in such form and manner as may be specified, requesting relief for issuance of a protection order, if the aggrieved person wants.
- The Officer must offer reassurance and guarantee that the injured person will receives legal assistance under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 and to make the necessary form for filing a complaint accessible free of charge;
- The Officer must keep a list of all service providers offering legal help or counselling, as well as the shelter houses and medical facilities under the Magistrate’s authority;
- If the aggrieved person so requests, to provide a secure shelter home and to transmit a copy of his report of having placed the aggrieved person in a shelter home to the police station and the Magistrate having jurisdiction in the area where the shelter home is located;
- The Officer must have the aggrieved person medically evaluated to check if she has suffered bodily injuries, and is required to transmit a copy of the medical report to the police station and the Magistrate in the area where the domestic violence is claimed to have taken place
- The Officer must ensure that the monetary relief order issued under Section 20 of the Act is followed and carried out in accordance with the procedures outlined in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
- If the Magistrate asks the Protection Officer to carry out any other responsibilities that may be assigned, he is obligated to do so.
Section 9 (2) states that the Protection Officer is subjected to the Magistrate’s control and supervision, and he must carry out the obligations placed on him by the Magistrate and the Government by or under this Act.
Thus, these are the primary duties and functions of a Protection Officer assigned to make sure that the victim of domestic violence receives all kinds of relief mentioned in the Act.
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