Designate protection officers to ensure safety of women from domestic abuse: SC to States, UTs

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed all the States and Union Territories to identify the officers in the Department of Women and Child Development at the district and taluka levels and designate them as protection officers.

A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the chief secretaries of the states, UTs and the secretaries of the Women and Child/Social Welfare Departments to coordinate and ensure the designation of officers as protection officers under the Domestic Violence Act.

Protection officer is an appointed individual assigned with the task of ensuring the safety and well-being of victims of domestic violence.

The court's direction came on a plea filed by the petitioner-NGO, 'We the Women of India', seeking to fill "massive" gaps in infrastructure under Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act across the country.

The NGO contended that domestic violence continued to be the most common crime against women despite the Domestic Violence Act coming into force more than 15 years ago.

"They shall also take steps to discharge their duties under Section 11 by giving wide publicity through media to promote awareness about the provisions of the Act, ensure effective coordination of services under the Act, and implement its provisions," the bench said.

The bench ordered that the exercise for designation of protection officers has to be completed within six weeks from May 20, in the areas where they have not been designated.