Second International Conference on Advances in Women's Studies 2015 , 25-27 Feb. 2015, Colombo, Sri Lanka

1. Preeti Dwivedi
Sociology Department,
Mahila Mahavidyalaya (P.G.) College, Kanpur,
India
preetidwivedi70@yahoo.co.in

2. “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)

3.  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.

4.  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.

5.  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.

6.  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.

7.  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%.

8.  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%).

9.  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).

10. 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.

11.  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.

12.  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.

13.  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.

14.  Emotional violence are experienced by most
of the women belonging to Upper Class or
Upper Middle Class families.

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

16.  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%)

17.  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.

18.  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%).

19.  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.

20.  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.

21.  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.

22.  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.

23.  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.

24.  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.

25.  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.

26.  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.

27.  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.

28.  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.

29.  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.

30.  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.

31. THANK
YOU