(1) The Government shall establish Protection Centres through a phased programme for protection of the aggrieved persons.
(2) A Protection Centre shall:
(a) be a converging point for all essential services to ensure justice delivery including police reporting, registration of criminal cases, medical examination, collection of forensic and other evidence;
(b) register the cases of violence and facilitate medical examination, collection of forensic and other evidence and proper prosecution of the cases;
(c) provide first aid relief to an aggrieved person;
(d) collect and assist to collect evidence within twenty four hours to facilitate investigation and effective prosecution;
(e) provide immediate protection to an aggrieved person;
(f) establish an effective system for the receipt and disposal of the complaints within the time mentioned in the operating procedures;
(g) maintain an effective system of mediation and reconciliation for resolution of disputes under this Act;
(h) register information against the perpetrators of violence;
(i) initiate cases of state-inflicted violence, if any, against women;
(j) maintain audio-visual record of all actions carried out under the Act;
(k) provide or arrange to provide legal aid to an aggrieved person;
(l) provide psychological counseling to an aggrieved person;
(m) mediate between an aggrieved person and the defendant for resolution of disputes under the Act; and
(n) act as a community centre to guide women in all Government related inquiries.
(3) The Government shall, through a phased programme, establish a shelter home in each district or for a local area within a district, for board and lodging of the aggrieved persons and needy women and provision of social and rehabilitative services to the residents.
(4) A shelter home shall:
(a) provide shelter and other allied facilities to an aggrieved person or other needy women along with dependent children;
(b) provide, with the consent of the resident, rehabilitation services to reintegrate residents with their families and society where necessary; refer the case of a resident to the appropriate authority or body for
(c) redressal of her grievance and regularly monitor provision of services to the residents;
(d) arrange for technical and vocational training of the residents;
(e) provide legal, medical, emotional support, guidance and psychological counseling to the residents;
(f) repatriate or rehabilitate the residents in the shortest possible time;
(g) maintain discipline and regulate visitation and timings; and
(h) perform any other prescribed function or a function assigned to it by the Committee for purposes of protection of women, children and vulnerable persons.
(5) Subject to general or special direction of the Committee, a male child who is not a dependent child shall not be admitted in the shelter home and instead may be referred to the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau for provision of shelter, board and lodging, education and training.

(1) The Government shall:
(a) institute a universal toll-free dial-in-number for the aggrieved persons;
(b) establish Protection Centers and shelter homes under a phased programme;
(c) appoint necessary staff at a Protection Centre for mediation and reconciliation between the parties, rescue, medical examination, medical and psychological treatment and legal help of the aggrieved persons and proper investigation of offences committed against aggrieved persons;
(d) arrange for wide publicity of this Act and the protection system in Urdu and, if necessary, in local languages;
(e) institute a mechanism for the periodic sensitization and awareness of the concerned public servants about the issues involving women and the requirements of protection and relief of the aggrieved persons; and
(f) take other necessary measures to accomplish the objective of the Act.
(2) The Government shall establish a data-base and software for timely service delivery and monitoring and evaluation mechanism in the prescribed manner with a view to achieving the objectives of the Act and, where necessary, shall introduce necessary reforms for the purpose.

(1) The Committee shall:
(a) supervise the working of the Protection Centre, shelter home and toll-free helpline and take necessary steps to improve the services;
(b) ensure uninterrupted functioning of the toll-free dial-in-number of the Protection Centre and high-quality response and services at the Protection Centre and, for the purpose, shall arrange training for the concerned employees;
(c) develop liaison with other departments and agencies in the district enabling the Protection Centre and shelter home best to perform the task of protection of women;
(d) try mediation and reconciliation between the parties for resolution of disputes under this Act;
(e) ensure that the cases of violence registered in any of police station of the district are referred to the Protection Centre for medical examination, collection of forensics and investigation and until the Protection Centre is established in the district, shall make standing arrangements for shifting of the aggrieved person, with her consent, to the nearest Protection Centre;
(f) approve annual plan of action for the Protection Centre and shelter home;
(g) discuss problems being faced by the Protection Centre and shelter home and find possible solution of the problems;
(h) monitor and evaluate working of the Protection Centre and shelter home;
(i) enlist women volunteers and women volunteer organizations in the district and assign roles under this Act to such volunteers and organizations;
(j) suggest measures for better protection of women or improvement in the protection system to the Government;
(k) ensure minimum standards, code of conduct and standard operating procedures to be followed by the employees of the protection system;
(l) approve annual report about physical targets, activities and gaps of the protection system in the district for submission to the Government; and
(m) perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by the [Authority] and as are ancillary to any of the above functions or necessary to accomplish the objectives of the Act.
(2) The Committee may accept donations such as land, vehicles, equipment or money for the facilitation of the functioning of the protection system and all such donations shall be used, maintained and disposed of by the Committee in the prescribed manner.
(3) The [Secretary] may delegate any of the functions of the Committee to the [Deputy Commissioner] subject to such terms and conditions as the Government may determine.

(1) The Government shall, by notification, appoint a District Women Protection Officer for a district and Women Protection Officers [: Provided that where the District Women Protection Officers or Women Protection Officers are not appointed under this section, the Secretary may, subject to such terms and conditions as he may determine, by notification in the official Gazette nominate any officer of the Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal Department of the Government to perform the functions of the District Women Protection Officers or Women Protection Officers under this Act.]
(2) Subject to general supervision of the Committee, a District Women Protection Officer shall:
(a) supervise and coordinate the protection system in the district;
(b) maintain liaison, supervise, plan, implement, monitor and periodically evaluate the protection system in the district;
(c) be responsible for training of the staff, reporting and documentation of the protection system in the district;
(d) provide counselling services to the aggrieved persons in the Protection Centre and shelter home;
(e) approve a rescue operation for rescuing an aggrieved person;
(f) file a habeas corpus case on the basis of any credible information of wrongful confinement of an aggrieved person;
(g) set specific, measurable, achievable and relevant targets for the protection system to be achieved in the specified time;
(h) ensure achievement of targets and submit compliance report in every meeting of the Committee; and
(i) prepare an annual report about targets, activities and gaps of the protection system.
(3) Subject to the supervision of the District Women Protection Officer, a Women Protection Officer shall:
(a) assist the District Women Protection Officer in the performance of her functions;
(b) respond to the calls or queries of women on internet or toll-free dial-in-number of the Protection Centre;
(c) rescue an aggrieved person and, subject to this Act, admit her and her dependent children or other family members, if necessary, in the shelter home;
(d) direct the defendant to immediately move out of the house for a period not exceeding forty-eight hours in order to protect life, dignity or reputation of the aggrieved person;
(e) approve admission of a woman or any other person in the shelter home in accordance with the provision of this Act and the rules governing the shelter home;
(f) provide counseling services on phone or, where necessary, by visiting an aggrieved person; and
(g) supervise working of officials of the shelter home.
(4) The District Women Protection Officer may perform any function of a Women Protection Officer and, in the absence of the District Women Protection Officer owing to any cause, the senior-most Women Protection Officer shall perform the functions of the District Women Protection Officer.