The Standard operating procedures for medicolegal examination of women victims of violence (2010):

1. Ensure respect and dignity of women seeking medical assistance;
2. Provide women victims of violence with a service where they could go with full confidence to receive care, treatment and advice;
3. Ensure that the medico-legal examination is conducted with the informed consent of the victim and with due sensitivity;
4. Maintain the privacy of woman victim at all times;
5. Prevent undue delay in conducting the medico-legal examination;
6. Ensure that women victims of violence are examined only by women medical officers;
7. Offer the required emergency and follow up care, both medical and psychological to the victims of violence;
8. Ensure that the medico-legal findings are carefully and clearly documented and material evidence iscollected and delivered to the police strictly maintaining the chain of custody;
9. Ensure that the medico-legal certificate remains a strictly confidential document only accessible to persons with due authorization;
10. Provide for appropriate measures to make it possible to take swift and effective action against persons who are involved in the handling of such cases but are biased or re-victimize women victims;
11. Ensure mandatory training for all doctors especially female doctors involved in medico-legal work on sensitive dealing of women victims of violence;
12. Help maintain close liaison with other departments and organizations that offer services to women victims for necessary referral (registration of case, legal aid, shelter etc.);
13. Guarantee a mechanism for uniform implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures throughout Punjab.