This document discusses violence against women in India. It defines violence against women according to the UN and other sources, and describes various types of violence including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and others. Preventive measures are outlined such as enforcing laws, education programs, and support services. Several government programs aimed at empowering women and preventing violence are also summarized.

1. PRESENTED BY:
Mrs. DEVA PON PUSHPAM.I,
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR.

2. INTRODUCTION
 Violence against women is partly a result of gender
relations that assumes men to be superior to women.
 Manifestations of violence include physical aggression,
such as blows of varying intensity, burns, attempted
hanging, sexual abuse and rape, psychological violence
through insults, humiliation, blackmail, economic or
emotional threats, etc.
 Usually domestic aggression towards women and girls,
due to various reasons remain hidden.

3. DEFINITION
Any act of gender based violence that results in or is
likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological
harm or suffering to a woman, whether occurring in
public or private life.
- United Nations
Women abuse is the intentional and systematic use of
tactics to establish and maintain power and control
over the thoughts, beliefs and conduct of a woman
through the inducement of fear and / or dependency.
- Reynolds and Schweitzer, 1998

4. TYPES OF WOMEN ABUSE
Physical
violence
Sexual
violence
Emotional
violence
Psychological
violence
Spiritual
violence
Cultural violence
Verbal abuse
Financial abuse
Neglect

5. Contd.,
 Physical violence: It includes using physical force which
results in pain, discomfort or injury, hitting, pinching, hair
pulling, arm twisting, strangling, burning, stabbing, etc.
 Sexual violence: It includes touching in a sexual manner
without consent, forces sexual intercourse, forcing a
person to perform sexual acts, beating sexual parts of the
body, etc.
 Emotional violence: It occurs when someone says or
does something to make a person feel stupid or worthless.
It includes name calling, blaming all relationship
problems, not allowing to contact family or friends, etc.

6.  Psychological violence: It includes threatening to harm
the person, his/her family if he/she leaves, threatening to
harm oneself, threats of violence and abandonment, etc.
 Spiritual violence: It includes not allowing the person to
follow his/her preferred spiritual or religious tradition,
forcing a spiritual or religious path or practice on another
person, belittling or making fun of a person’s spiritual or
religious tradition, etc.
 Cultural violence: It includes committing crimes against
women ie., physically harmed, shunned, maimed, or
killed for falling in love with wrong person, seeking
divorce, being raped, etc.
Contd.,

7.  Verbal abuse: It includes recalling a person’s past
mistakes, threatening violence, lying, yelling, insulting,
swearing, talking unkindly about death, etc.
 Financial abuse: It includes not allowing the person to
participate in the educational programmes, forcing the
person to work outside home, refusing to work outside
home, refusing to attend school, misusing funds, etc.
 Neglect: It includes abandonment in public setting, not
remaining with a women who needs help, disregarding
necessities of daily living, failing to provide necessities,
ignoring special dietary requirements, etc.
Contd.,

8. PREVENTIVE MEASURES
 Enforcement of laws on violence against women.
 Supporting gender sensitization by conducting public
awareness programs.
 Encourage the media to play s constructive role.
 Provision of easily accessible 24*7 information services to
inform any violence related to women.
 Provision of legal services free of cost or at affordable cost.
 Regional women related policies.
 Strengthening mahila mandals and women’s organization all
over India.
 Education to all women.
 Family support.
 Women help lines – 1090 / 1091

9. Women welfare programs in India:
 Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – Respecting, protecting and
fulfilling the rights of girls and women to stop gender
based violence.
 Swayamsidha – Integrated scheme for the development
and empowerment of women through self help groups.
 Swashakti Project – Increase women’s access to resources
to better quality of life. This is achieved through health
education and training on income generating schemes.
 ICDS – Services including immunization, health check up,
nutrition and health education and refreshment services
to children and pregnant women.

10. Contd.,
 Training and employment program for women – Provides
new skills and knowledge to women who do not have any
income or property. They are trained in areas like agriculture,
animal husbandry, dairying, fisheries, handloom, handicrafts,
etc.
 Swavlamban – Provides training and skills to women to enable
them to obtain employment or become self employed ie.,
computer programming, medical transcription, electronic
assembling, radio and TV repairs, garment making, weaving,
embroidery, etc.
 Hostels for working women – Provides financial assistance for
construction and expansion of hostel buildings for working
women to provide safe and affordable accommodation to
working women including girls pursuing professional courses.

11.  Swadhar – Provides integrated services like food,
clothing, shelter, health care, counselling and legal aid to
women who has no support ie., widows living alone,
women released from prison, survivors of natural
calamities, women rescued from brothel areas, victims of
sexual crimes. This also rehabilitate them through
education, skill formation and behavioural training.
 Rashtriya Mahila Kosh – The National Credit Fund for
women is meant to facilitate credit support or micro
finance to poor women to start such income generating
schemes as agriculture, dairying, shop keeping, vending
and handicrafts.
Contd.,

12. Laws relating to violence against
women:
 Crimes under IPC : Rape, kidnapping and abduction,
dowry deaths, torture both mentally and physically,
molestation, sexual harassment, etc.
 Gender Specific Laws :
 Pre-conception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques Act,
1994
 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971
 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
 Protection of women from domestic violence act, 2005