53 - The responsibilities of the Authority are as follows: (a) to determine the national policy for combating domestic violence and enforcing such policy; (b) to determine the programmes necessary to combat domestic violence, the objectives of such programmes and the standards for implementing such programmes; (c) to establish multi-stakeholder mechanisms for implementing policies and programmes for combating violence; (d) to obligate compliance with the objectives and principles referred to in Section 53(b) by Authority centres within the jurisdiction of the councils; (e) to enter into agreements local and international parties and, organize and implement programmes with such parties in order to implement this Act and stop domestic violence; (f) to establish shelters with adequate staff and facilities in order to prevent domestic violence and to provide temporary support services for victims of violence; to determine the services provided from such shelters; and to provide such services in a sustainable manner;(g) to determine the standards and policies which need to be introduced in order to improve the responsiveness (in all required areas) to incidents of domestic violence and; take all necessary steps in relation to that; (h) to conduct research and collect data on the extent of (spread and occurrence of) domestic violence in the country; the reasons and personal characteristics related to occurrence of such violence and; the measures which could be taken to stop such violence and publish the required information from such findings; (i) to determine and enforce the standards that have to be maintained while responding to victims of domestic violence and, the types, nature, extent and standard of social services that has to be provided to such persons; (j) to establish temporary shelters for the purpose of providing safe locations to the victims of domestic violence in order to help such persons resume a healthy living; provide assistance to other entities administering such shelters and; determine and monitor the standards, rules and objectives of such centres; (k) to provide support for perpetrators through anger management therapy and counselling support in order to rehabilitate them as healthy individuals; (l) to determine the entities providing services to victims of domestic violence; the standard of such entities; type, nature, extent and standard of social services; (m) to determine the standards, policies and code of conduct to be complied with by employees of the Authority; investigating cases of breach of code of conduct, and advising the Minister in respect of the actions to be taken in such cases; (n) to advise and provide information on domestic violence to law and policy makers; (o) to determine the operational standards and policies for centres providing temporary protection to victims of domestic violence, and to determine the standard of service at such centres.

CEDAW Article 2 - Article 2 States Parties condemn discrimination against women in all its forms, agree to pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating discrimination against women and, to this end, undertake: (a) To embody the principle of the equality of men and women in their national constitutions or other appropriate legislation if not yet incorporated therein and to ensure, through law and other appropriate means, the practical realization of this principle; (b) To adopt appropriate legislative and other measures, including sanctions where appropriate, prohibiting all discrimination against women; (c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination; (d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation; (e) To take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women by any person, organization or enterprise; (f) To take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women; (g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women.