to assist the aggrieved person in making a complaint under the Act, if the aggrieved person so desires;

to provide her information on the rights of aggrieved persons under the Act as given in Form IV which shall be in English or in a vernacular local language;

to assist the person in making any application under section 12, or sub-section (2) of section 23 or any other provision of the Act or the rules made thereunder;

to prepare a "Safety Plan " including measures to prevent further domestic violence to the aggrieved person, in consultation with the aggrieved person in Form V, after making an assessment of the dangers involved in the situation and on an application being moved under section 12;

to provide legal aid to the aggrieved person, through the State Legal Aid Services Authority;

to assist the aggrieved person and any child in obtaining medical aid at a medical facility including providing transportation to get the medical facility;

to assist in obtaining transportation for the aggrieved person and any child to the shelter;

to inform the service providers registered under the Act that their services may be required in the proceedings under the Act and to invite applications from service providers seeking particulars of their members to be appointed as Counsellors in proceedings under the Act under sub-section (1) of section 14 or Welfare Experts under section 15;

to scrutinise the applications for appointment as Counsellors and forward a list of available Counsellors to the Magistrate;

to revise once in three years the list of available Counsellors by inviting fresh applications and forward a revised list of Counsellors on the basis thereof to the concerned Magistrate;

to maintain a record and copies of the report and documents forwarded under sections 9, 12, 20, 21, 22, 23 or any other provisions of the Act or these rules;

to provide all possible assistance to the aggrieved person and the children to ensure that the aggrieved person is not victimised or pressurised as a consequence of reporting the incidence of domestic violence;

to liaise between the aggrieved person or persons, police and service provider in the manner provided under the Act and these rules;

to maintain proper records of the service providers, medical facility and shelter homes in the area of his jurisdiction.

(2)

In addition to the duties and functions assigned to a Protection Officer under clauses (a) to (h) of sub-section (1) of section 9, it shall be the duty of every Protection Officer-

(a) to protect the aggrieved persons from domestic violence, in accordance with the provisions of the Act and these rules;

(b) to take all reasonable measures to prevent recurrence of domestic violence against the aggrieved person, in accordance with the provisions of the Act and these rules.