Date:09/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/09/stories/2009010961650300.htm

New Delhi

A new drive against domestic violence

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Insufficient budgetary allocation and lack of political will is leading to ineffective implementation of the Domestic Violence Act , according to the Centre for Social Research.

CSR will soon launch an awareness campaign here to create a better understanding of the Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act and related legal procedures among women and law enforcement agencies.

“While there is increasing awareness of the legislation, there are many obstacles in its implementation. To make the Act successful, we need well-trained protection officers, medical and shelter facilities for aggrieved women, free and accessible legal aid and well-trained police and service providers,” said CSR Director Ranjana Kumari.

She said though the Act has provision for medical facility or shelter home to be notified by the respective State governments, in reality there is a dearth of State-sponsored facilities to meet the shelter and medical needs of aggrieved women. “The foremost need is allocation of designated money by the Planning Commission for setting up the civil infrastructure for implementing the Act,” she added.

According to the CSR Director, a recent State-wise budgetary allocation for investments to protect women against violence revealed that Andhra Pradesh tops the list of States allocating the maximum budget for protection of women against violence (Rs.10 crore), whereas Madhya Pradesh spends the lowest amount (Rs.2.92 lakh).

CSR has conducted regional consultations in which bureaucrats, law enforcement agencies, elected representatives and civil society organisations discussed the roles and responsibilities of the authorities notified under the Act as well as the provisions for victims of violence.