The report has been prepared by the Lawyers Collective Women’s Rights Initiative (LCWRI), a non-government organisation, with the support of the UN’s Development Fund for Women and Gender Resource Centre, Ahmedabad.

The inadequacies in implementation of the Act in the state as mentioned in the report include appointment of insufficient number of Protection Officers (POs), inadequate budgetary support, lack of coordination among various government departments and poor court records. It states there are only 25 POs in the state.

According to the report, unlike Delhi and West Bengal, which have independent and full time POs, in Gujarat, the District Social Defence Officers (DSDO) and Zonal Dowry Prohibition Officers are also entrusted with the additional responsibility.

This, the report says, has led to inadequate attention being given to the responsibilities. Moreover, others like DSDO do not get legal training recommended for POs, and it often results into POs lacking in legal expertise in the state.

Also, since POs in Gujarat don’t have a separate office, it often compromises with the privacy rights of women who approach them for assistance.

On the topic of budgetary allocation and other infrastructure investments, the report says that Gujarat has allocated Rs 10,34,000 for the Act up till now, with no mention of services available to the POs.

Another revelation in the report is the acknowledgement by the Gujarat government that even after two years of the law, it is still in the process of registering the

Service Providers (SPs) to assist in implementing the Act.

Recognising the role played by NGOs in providing the women in distress various kinds of relief not limited merely to legal remedies, the Section 10 of the Act mentions registration of SPs. Andhra Pradesh, one of the leading states in implementing the PWDVA, has 72 registered SPs till now, while Gujarat has none.

Gujarat also lags behind in making state-wise notification of medical facilities and shelter homes as suggested in the Sections 6 and 7 of the Act.