What are Medical Facilities and Shelter Homes?

Last updated on Apr 8, 2022

[Trigger Warning: The following content contains information on domestic violence which some readers may find disturbing.]

Medical Facilities

If you have been subjected to domestic violence, it is your right to receive medical assistance. You can approach the Protection Officer of your district or any service provider working within the ambit of women’s rights, and they will help you, as well as any child, obtain medical assistance. The medical report will be forwarded to the relevant police station and Court.

Role of a Medical Facility: 

  • Providing medical assistance to a victim of domestic violence. No medical facility can deny service to such a person.
  • File a DIR and forward it to the relevant Protection Officer, if one has not been filed already.
  • Supply the victim with a free copy of the medical report.

Shelter Home

Shelter homes are homes set up by the State Government to provide a safe space for women to stay in. Any woman who has suffered from any kind of violence including rape, sexual crimes, domestic violence, etc. can stay in a shelter home1. If you are unable to go back to your house because the harasser(s) who harmed you is/are still living there, then the Protection Officer or service provider may ask you to go to a shelter home. If you want to find a shelter home, you can approach a Protection Officer who would maintain records of the shelter home in his or her district2.

Even if you have not filed a DIR, with the help of a Protection Officer, you can ask for accommodation in a Government-run shelter home, and the shelter home cannot refuse shelter to you  merely because you have not lodged a DIR. If you desire, the shelter home will not disclose your identity to the harasser3.

Some states provide handbooks for ASHA workers where you can find more information on forms on violence, where it can happen and how to file a complaint to seek protection against domestic violence. For example, see this handbook published for ASHA in Chattisgarh, Delhi, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

  1. Section 6, The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.[]
  2. Section 11(3) and 11(4), The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.[]
  3. Section 16(1),(2),(3), The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.[]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Please share your feedback about this post!

Sharing feedback will help us improve our content. Tell us how!

If you want to keep your feedback confidential, please mention it in your feedback. If you have a question, please ask us in the comments or Ask Nyaaya sections.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Related Resources

Who can seek Protection against Domestic Violence?

Any woman can file a complaint and seek protection against domestic violence under the law, for herself and her child/children. The religion of the woman does not matter.
Crimes and Violence

What is the Time Limit to Complain against Domestic Violence?

There is no specific time limit for filing a complaint against domestic violence, but you must be able to prove that you were in a domestic relationship with the harasser at the time the violence took place.
Crimes and Violence

How can you get Immediate Protection for Domestic Violence?

To seek immediate protection from domestic violence, you should file an application with the Court with the help of a Protection Officer or a lawyer.
Crimes and Violence

What is Counseling under Domestic Violence law?

Counseling refers to the provision of professional guidance by a counselor, who will help you and your harasser settle the matter of the domestic violence you have faced, furnish a guarantee that violence will not repeat, and come up with the best possible solution to the problem of domestic violence.
Crimes and Violence

What is domestic violence?

Domestic violence refers to violent or abusive behavior in a household that causes harm and may put the health and safety of a woman or any child under her custody in danger.
Crimes and Violence

What is a Shared Household ?

You live in a shared household with your harasser if you lived with the harasser, have a domestic relationship with the harasser and have/do not have a legal share in the house.
Crimes and Violence