“A STUDY OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST

WOMEN IN INDIA”

Preeti DwivediSociology Department,

Mahila Mahavidyalaya (P.G.) College, Kanpur, India

preetidwivedi70@yahoo.co.in

“Pattern of abusive behaviour in any relationship that is used by the partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” is known as Domestic Violence.

(U.S. Office on violence against women)

Women are placed in an esteemed and honoured status in the Indian religious scriptures. On the other hand sati pratha, polygamy, restriction on widow’s marriage were some aspects of female victimization shows that they were subjected to a variety of exploitation, violence and aggression by the hands of their parents, siblings, relatives and society at large scale since years; domestic violence is one of them.

Domestic violence takes many forms within household and in most of all cases victims are women and perpetrated by male.

In India, women are subjected to violence either unmarried or married from members of both natal and marital home as well as before birth in the form of female foeticide and infanticide.

Married women are more likely to experience physical, psychological or sexual violence by their husbands than by anyone else.

Wife – beating is found as the most common practice of domestic violence, while humiliating words used by their husbands and relatives, forced women to go back to their parents, threats to thrown them out were also frequently reported types of violence against women in India.

DATA OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE BY DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN INDIA

International Clinical Epidemiologists Network (INCLEN), 2000, found domestic violence as a problem that cuts across age, education, social class and religion in India. It was also found that 40% women had experienced at least one form of physical violence in their married life.

According to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) 1991, at every 33 minutes one Indian women is being abused by her husband.

According to a community and hospital based prospective study, conducted during 1993 – 95 in India, 16% of the deaths in pregnancy were caused by domestic violence.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) reported that only one in four abused women have ever sought help to try to end the violence they have experienced. And only 2% of the abused women have ever sought help from the police.

WHO reports in 2007 that the proportion of women who had ever experienced physical or sexual violence or both by an intimate partner ranged from 15 – 71%.

Domestic violence has serious consequences on women’s mental and physical health including their reproductive and sexual health. According to WHO (2001) battered women are subject to twice the risk of miscarriage and 4 times the risk of having a baby that is below average weight.

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) report concluded that the prevalence of spousal physical or sexual violence is much higher among women from the poorest household (49%) than among women in the wealthier household (18%).

National Family Health Survey III, carried out in 29 states during 2005 – 06, has found that a substantial proportion of married women have been physically or sexually abused by their husbands at some time in their lives. The survey indicated that nationwide 37.2% of women experienced violence after marriage.

Bihar state was found to be the most violent, with the abuse rate against married women being as high as 59%. It was followed by Rajasthan (46.3%), Madhya Pradesh(45.8%), Manipur (43.9%), Uttar Pradesh (42.4%), Tamil Nadu (41.9%) and West Bengal (40.3%) (NFHS III).

OBJECTIVES AND METHODOLOGY

o Present study is an attempt to investigate the problem of domestic violence against women in India, its causes and consequences. The study is an empirical work and is conducted in Allahabad city of Northern Indian state Uttar Pradesh. For the same purpose 120 married women who are victims of domestic violence are selected as a sample through snow ball sampling method. Data are collected through in – depth interviews of the victims.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(SOCIO – DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS)

More than half of the respondents (68%) are in between 16 – 35 years. Thus younger women are more prone to the violent attacks than the older one.

Caste – wise distribution shows that domestic violence is prevalent in all caste categories even in the minority group in India.

Most of the victims of domestic violence are either house – wife (47%) or engage in the works of low social status like labour (20%) or maid servants (14%). It shows that women who are economically dependent or lower socio – economic status have been found to be strongly related to the risk of domestic violence.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(SOCIO – DEMOGRAPHIC DETAILS)

Educational level of the victims show that illiterate as well as highly educated women both are experiencing violent atrocities behind the closed doors, but still is more prevalent in illiterate (31.7%) or primary educated women (20.8%).

From the economic status of the respondents, it is found that about 41% of the respondents belong to Lower Economic Class and 20% are from Lower Middle Economic Class. Only 11% of the respondents are from Upper Economic Class and 10% of them are from families belong to Upper Middle Economic class. Thus those women belong to lower economic status are more prone to frequent violent attacks.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(MOST FREQUENT FORMS OF DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE) Physical Violence (57%) Emotional Violence (21%) Sexual Violence (8%) Economic Violence (14%)

Physical attacks are most frequent form of domestic violence in India (57%) and experienced by most of the women belonging to Lower Economic Class or Lower Middle Economic Class.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(MOST FREQUENT FORMS OF DOMESTIC

VIOLENCE) Emotional violence are experienced by

most of the women belonging to Upper Class or Upper Middle Class families.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(MAIN PROVOKERS OF

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN MOST OF THE CASES)

Husband (39%) Mother –in-law (22%) Sister – in – law (16%) Brother – in – law (9%) Father – in – law (8%) Relatives of husband (6%)

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(FREQUENCY OF VIOLENT ATTACKS) Daily (18%) More than one times in a week (19%) More than one times in a month (15%) More than one times in a year (16%) Not certain (22%) Occasionally (10%)

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(MAJOR CAUSES BEHIND VIOLENT

ATTACKS) Alcohol addiction of husband is

prominent cause of domestic violence against women informed by 30% of the victims.

18.3% of the respondents told that their husbands or in – laws batter them if they disobey either to their husband or their in – laws.

Dowry (13.3%), suspect about extra marital affairs of the victims (10%), unemployment of male partners (8.3%), dissatisfaction with household roles played by respondents (9.2%) are also access as prominent causes of violence.

10.8% of the respondents informed that they experience violence due to their infertility problems (6%) or give birth female child only (4.8%).

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(DIFFERENT SOURCES OF SEEKING

HELP) All the victims of domestic violence do not

prefer to seek help from any source and try to deal their violent situation with its own strategy in the first instance.

When the situation goes beyond their control 50(41.7%) of the victims approach to the informal sources with a hope that such source will be better equipped to face the abusive situation.

Out of 50(41.7%) of the victims 24(48%) prefer to seek help from their parents, than their close friends 17(34%). Only 9 (18%) of them approach to their relatives to take the help of them.

It is also found that out of 50 (41.7%) of the respondents most of them (70%) are suggested to adjust even in such abusive environment. On the other hand 7(14%) of the victims are advised for divorce, while 8 (16%) of them are advised for taking help from formal agencies like police, NGOs, judiciary body etc.

It is very interesting to note that out of 50 (41.7%) of the respondents, only 6% of them seek help from formal agencies. They seek help from formal sources, when they fail to get appropriate help from informal source and has no other alternative other than to seek help from formal sources.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(WHY THE VICTIMS ARE LIVING IN SUCH

ABUSIVE ENVIRONMENT) 64% of the respondents informed that

due to economic dependence upon husbands they live in such environment. They further reported that they have no other place to go and thus there is no option left except living in such abusive environment.

On the other hand 24% of the respondents live due to sake of their children.

EMPIRICAL FINDINGS(WHY THE VICTIMS ARE LIVING IN SUCH

ABUSIVE ENVIRONMENT) 12% of the victims informed that stigma

is associated with divorced or separated women in our society. Thus due to fear of loss of their self – image and also for reputation and dignity of their parents, they are living with their husbands or in – laws even after experience of numbers humiliating attacks.

IN MOST OF THE CASES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE WHY VICTIMS ARE WOMEN

The root cause behind domestic violence is the concept of patriarchy, where inclusive powers and all rights are given to males and women victimize as less to no power. In such society male possessiveness and women subordination is accepted as a social norm.

In patriarchal society like India women are positioned in lower status than men in their family and confine to the domestic duties only and refrain from decision making process. On the other hand male avail all economic and social power.

Different values, norms, beliefs and behavior all are internalize through socialization among girls since their childhood in patriarchal society. Through socialization females are to internalize the concept of dependency, obedience, powerless and shy nature.

Patriarchy, different socialization, gender – inequality all are interrelated and responsible for subjugation of women and give the enjoyment of social and economic power in the hands of men.

Wife beating, bride burning, sexual assault by husband and sometimes ultimate leading to female suicide are common incidents in such society.

Where male dominance is strong, wife battering is likely to be more frequent . Thus through domestic violence a woman becomes an instrument through which systematic inequality is maintained.

Dowry is considered as one of the patriarchal practices that contributes to the inferior position of women in India and also contributes to wife abuse.

Economic dependence upon husband is also the reason for violent beating of the wife.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Domestic violence against women shows that there is only theoretical constitutional equality for men and women but in practice women are not considered as equal as men in the patriarchal form of society like India.

Most of the victims of domestic violence do not approach to seek relief under different legislations. Weak enforcement of punishment mechanism under the legal provisions in India is most frequent cause for avoid to seek help from any formal sources.

Legal provisions against perpetrators of domestic violence are strictly enforced so that no one can leave without punishment.

Most of the victims of domestic violence live in the marital home even after experience of frequent violent attacks as they have no other place to go due to absence of support of their family, relatives or friends.

The central and state government should develop, enlarge and strengthen social support service programmes for that women who are victims of domestic violence.

The experiences of violence within household’s boundary are big barrier of women’s empowerment and ultimately challenge the socio – economic development of a country.

Thus educating the women and make them economic independent should be encouraged as it may be deterrent to domestic violence.

Problem of domestic violence is deep – rooted to the socio – cultural practices which lead to gender – discrimination and gender – inequality.

There is need to transformation of society based on gender – inequality and different socialization among girls and women. In this respect media, social activists, NGOs, different government agencies can bring a massive awareness towards gender – equality and empowered them socially and economically.

Gender – equality gives an esteemed and honored status of women as stated in our traditional religious scriptures.

THANK YOU