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Domestic violence survivors should have access to legal rights: Smriti Irani
Irani was speaking at the virtual launch of a training programme for protection officers in responding to the survivors of domestic violence
Union minister for women and child development Smriti Irani has said that protection officers must ensure that survivors of domestic violence have access to their legal rights. Irani was speaking on Monday at the virtual launch of a training programme for protection officers in responding to survivors of domestic violence.
The project series, launched by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in collaboration with Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, will focus on the role of different stakeholders and service providers under the Act, including police, legal aid services, health system, service providers, shelter services, and one-stop centres, a statement from the government read.
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The five-day training programme, to be held online, is the first in a series of workshops to be held for protection officers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal.
In her inaugural address, the minister lauded the initiative taken by NCW. She said protection officers bridge the gap between the administration and aggrieved women and it should be their priority to make it possible for the survivors to access legal rights available to them.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said protection officers aid the aggrieved in filing complaints, and act as facilitators between the survivor and the court while filing application before the magistrate to obtain necessary relief and also assist them in obtaining medical aid, legal aid, counselling, safe shelter, and other assistance.
She added that the training will help participants gain an understanding of the legal system, the role of protection officers and interlinkage with other stakeholders for better implementation of the Act in the training sessions.
