Domestic Violence Legislation and its Implementation

OVERVIEW OF GLOBAL GOOD PRACTICES
ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RESPONSE SYSTEMS
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The Domestic Violence Response System can be described as a wheel or a chain; the
abused woman may enter the chain at any point and gain access to the relevant agency. She
will be referred to other agencies in accordance with her particular needs; she is free to exit
the system at any point in time provided the legal provisions or policies have not created an
exception. 3
Police
Shelter Home
Medical
Facility
Protection
Officer
Service
Provider
3 For instance, many states in the U.S. have adopted a “No Drop” prosecution policy for domestic violence cases. This means that the
onus of prosecution is completely on the State, and once the law and legal system is triggered, the prosecution cannot be “dropped”
even if the complainant herself wants to withdraw the case. This policy was premised on the acknowledgment that women who face
domestic violence face tremendous pressure, whether directly or because of the nature of the relationship and/or her emotional,
social and fi nancial dependency to withdraw the case. In order to address the issue of high attrition rates in domestic violence cases
and to remove the heavy burden placed on the complainant, the “No Drop” prosecution evolved. However, this policy has been
variously critiqued, particularly by women’s rights advocates, for negating the woman’s agency.