It is research paper, which reviews opinion of different writers of world. It reveals how gender violence is prevalent in families throughout world

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Gender Violence
An Indian and Global Analysis
Gender related violence is prevalent throughout world. In the following
discussion “Gender term” has been used for woman. Gender related
violence revealed that the perpetrator of violence against woman at
domestic level is mainly husband. It also occurs in the families between
husband-wife, brother-sister, and male vis-à-vis female and among other
members of the family. Much of the violence in the family is considered
normal and social sanction as it takes place in a man and woman
relationship within the family. Socio-economic, cultural and psychological
factors are interlinked with the development and propagation of violent behaviour.
Violence against women, taking place within the household premises is a
global problem that keeps woman subordinated to man.
Violence against wives has been found in all societies irrespective of socio-
economic status. The sacredness of a traditional marriage, rigid ideas of
conjugality and patriarchal condition of family structure take precedence
over concerns for women1. Violence against women ranges from simple
suppression to abuse, aggression, exploitation and severe oppression2. In
many cultures particularly in Indian families, a man enjoys absolute
authoritative power and privilege, making every decision as undisputed
“leader of the family”. In common parlance, violence against women is
behaviour of men in domestic context in marital co-habitation. It can take
different forms including physical, emotional, verbal, economic and sexual
abuse and so on. Traditionally, violence against women was mostly
associated with physical violence ...“the inflicting of physical injury by a
family or household member on another, also—repeated/habitual pattern
of such behaviour and failed to cover mental, emotional and psychological
aspect. According to the Council of Europe, domestic violence is often but
not always including “all acts of physical, sexual, psychological or
economic violence”. These acts may be committed by a person who is a
family member, or a person that has been an intimate partner or spouse,
irrespective of whether they lived together3,4,5 or not. The United Nations
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW)
describes violence against women as: “Physical, sexual and psychological
violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of
female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape,
female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to
women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation”6.

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United Nations General Assembly, 1993 defined that “...any act of gender-
based violence is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm
to women including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations
of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life”7. The United Nations
General Assembly while adopting the Declaration on the Elimination of
Violence against Women (DEVAW) had affirmed that ‘violence against
women impairs or nullifies their enjoyment of basic human rights and
freedom’ 8. European Institute of Gender Equality (EIGE) defined that
violence is directed against a person on the basis of gender. Violence
against women reflects and reinforces inequalities between men and
women and is often used interchangeably as most violence is inflicted by
men on women and girls9. Violence against women occurs as a result of
the normative role expectations associated with the unequal power
relationship between two genders within the context of a specific
society10. Violence against women generally occurs within a home or
caused by a family member11
Worldwide studies have divided gender-violence into following major
categories: (i) Overt physical abuse (Battering, sexual assaults at home);
(ii) Psychological abuse (Confinement); (iii) Deprivation of resources for
physical and psychological well being (health, nutrition, education and
means of livelihood). Understanding the phenomenon of gender violence
requires an analysis of the pattern of violence directed towards women
and the underlined mechanisms that permit the emergence and
perpetuation of these patterns. However, violence against women is partly
a result of gender relations that assumes men to be superior to women.
Given the subordinate status of women, much of gender violence is
considered normal and renders social sanction. Manifestations of violence
include physical aggression, as blows of varying intensity, burns,
attempted hanging, sexual abuse and rape, psychological violence
through insults, humiliation, coercion, blackmail, economic and emotional
threats and control over speech and actions12. These acts of violence take
place in a man/woman relationship within the family. Usually domestic
aggression towards women, due to various reasons remained a hidden
phenomenon in families, in classes and in society13. Studies conducted by
World Health Organization (WHO) reported that among the women aged
15-45 years, gender violence accounts for more deaths and disability than
cancer, malaria, traffic injuries or war put together14. It also includes
various kinds of physical, emotional and sexual behaviours against
women, mostly carried out by family members...15. This threatens the well

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being, rights and dignity of women, which has recently emerged as a
global issue extending across regional, social, cultural and economic
boundaries16.
Indian studies revealed that Violence against women is common in
illiterate and poor families throughout India. The phenomenon of violence
against women within families is complex and deeply embedded17. It
arises from patriarchal notions of ownership over women’s bodies,
sexuality, labour, reproductive rights, morbidity and level of autonomy.
Violence is a tool that men use constantly to control women. The
Government of India set up a Committee on the ‘Status of Women in
India’ (CSWI) in 1975 to report the status of women. The report signified
equality’, as though the Constitution of India had promised equality of
status for women and opportunity at par with men (Article 14 of
Constitution). As the years went by, it was becoming oblivious that
equality between men and women had still a long way to go. Despite
having a written constitution (Articles 14, 15, 16 (4), India has not made
good use of this opportunity to address equality for women particularly in
rural areas. Indian women’s journey over the centuries is related to
violence, discrimination being the weaker gender. But, with Indian
Constitution (Article 14) and the onward journey of present day
represents equality before law. Article-14 states that ‘the state will not
deny any person’s equality before the law or equal protection of the laws
within the territory of Indian prohibition of discrimination on grounds of
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth’.
National Commission for Women 1992 monitored all matters relating to
the constitutional and legal safe-guards provided for women in India
National Mission for Empowerment of Women, which was launched in
March 2010, and came under operation 2011-1218. A study entitled
“Gender-based Violence in India: A Never Ending Phenomenon” revealed
that cherished womanhood that has been extolled since long, had been
eroded away with the influx of foreign and modern culture. Over the
years, worldly pursued have occupied maximized proportions because of
which the traditional culture is withering away. The family solace has been
eroded by despicable acts like bride burning, dowry deaths, torture,
cruelty and so forth. Even the female embryo is subjected to homicidal
torture. The right of the female child is always perilous and born as a
female child in itself is considered as a curse by some sections of
society19.

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The Preamble of Domestic Violence against Women (Protection and
Prevention) Bill 1999, talked about domestic violence as a heinous crime
and a severe form of oppression affecting women of all social, cultural,
ethnic, economic and religious background. There was an
acknowledgement that the home was the most violent space for women,
and reminded the state of its constitutional and international human rights
commitments towards ending violence against women20. The National
Family Health Survey (NFHS-III, 2006) revealed that the prevalence of
violence is much higher against women belonging to the scheduled castes
and scheduled tribes as compared to women of other categories. Various
studies revealed that the great majority of perpetrators of violence are
men. Most women who suffer with violence by a partner generally find
experienced with multiple acts of violence overtime. However, violence
against women seems like a complex problem that cannot be attributed to
a single cause. There are numbers of factors which boost violence, such
as alcohol and drug abuse, poverty, which contribute to the incidence as
severity of violence against women. Overall, it is a multi-factor problem,
influenced by social, economic, psychological, legal, cultural and biological
factors. Various studies revealed that violence against women is not just
an occasional argument, fighting or hitting only, it includes beating,
threats and stalking or other forms of intimidation, harassment, physical
and emotional, mental or psychological and sexual abuse. Domestic
violence is verbal and through action (physical). Generally it involves
physical brutality on women apart from battering, intimate violence
include beating with hand or object, biting, pulling out hair, punching,
kicking, slapping, stabbing, strangling, burning, attempted drowning and
injury by use of weapon etc. Such kind of violence against women is a
universal phenomenal that persists in all societies and communities.
Women are vulnerable to several forms of violence throughout their life.
The most prevalent form of violence against women worldwide is domestic
violence. These forms of violence are aggravated by socio-economic
pressures, women’s lack of access to legal information, lack of effective
laws, inadequate efforts by public authorities to promote awareness of
existing laws21, 22.
This piece of writing concludes that violence against women has been
based on power relations between men and women. Men deny women
equal access to power and resources thus making them more vulnerable
to violence from men. The cause of this violence can be traced to
patriarchy—the ideology that bestows on male power and authority over
all aspects of women’s lives including their bodies. Nature and form of
Gender Violence is knotted within:

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 Physical violence includes slapping, punching, biting, pulling hair,
beating with or without weapons.
 Sexual violence includes marital rape, which further leads to forecast
pregnancies, abortions, molestation and harassment. It is a violence of
reproductive rights over other’s body.
 Emotional violence includes all intentional attempts to minimise the
victim’s concerns and to make them feel bad abusive language.
Humiliating the victim in public and private places is also a kind of
emotional violence.
 Psychological violence includes any threats that are made or carried
out with the intent of financial or emotional injury, blackmail or
humiliation.
 Economic violence includes not providing her monetary benefits, not
allowing to work, control over her income. Women are threatened by
actions and gestures, destroying their property or displaying weapons.
 Isolation includes the control and limit to women’s freedom. They
keep an eye on her whereabouts all the time (not allowing visiting
matrimonial home, relatives etc.), confinement to home.
 Using privilege includes controlling the form of violence, where a
woman is treated like a servant and the master abuses her freely.
This is manifested in various forms and perpetuated and validated by all
social institutions. This includes socialisation processes that give rise to
different role expectations from men and women, and different gender
norms. However, it has been analysed that no single theory is adequate to
explain violent behaviour among individuals23. This is a violation of an
individual’s psychological and physical integrity. Review of literature
reveals domestic violence against women is a complex observable fact
involving physical, psychological, emotional, economic factors and
carrying out various forms of act or abuse indicating cruel and abusive
male-female relationship.
References
1. Bhattacharya. Rinki (ed.): Behind Closed Doors—Domestic Violence in India;
Sage Publications, India Private Limited, New Delhi, 2013, pp. 13-14.
2. Chitnis, Suma: Violence against Women or Women against Violence; Pen
craft International, 1998, Delhi, p. 11.
3. Council of Europe—Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence
against Women and Domestic violence CETS No. 210,

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http://conventions.coe.int/20/EN/treaties/html/210htm, quoted in Domestic
Violence—Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, p. 2, accessed on 19.3.2015.
4. European Union Directive 2012/29EU, http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do, quoted in Domestic Violence—
Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, p. 2, accessed on 19.3.2015.
5. San Diego Domestic Violence Attorney,
http://www.sandiegocrimedefense.com/domesticviolence-
restrainingoders.htlm, quoted in Domestic Violence—Wikipedia, the free
encyclopaedia, p. 2, accessed on 19.3.2015.
6. A/RES/48/104: Declaration on Elimination of Violence against Women,
http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104htm.Un.org, quoted in
Domestic Violence—Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, p. 2, accessed on
19.3.2015 and United Nation Declaration on the Elimination of Violence
against Women (DEVAW), General Assembly Resolution 48/104, 20
December 1993, quoted in Gender Matters…
http://eyels.coe.int/gendermaters/chapter-2//html.
7. United Nation Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
(DEVAW); General Assembly Resolution 48/104, 20 December 1993 quoted
in http://eycb.coe.int/gendermatters/chapter_2/1.html.
8. Progress of South Asian Women-2005; UNIFEM, New Delhi, 2005, p. 28,
quoted in Aruna Goel, Manvinder Kaur, Ameer Sultana (eds.): Violence
against Women—Issues and Perspective; Deep & Deep Publications Pvt.
Ltd., New Delhi, p. xvii.
9. What is gender-based violence, available at
http:/eige.europa.eu/content/what-is-gender-based-violence?
10. Bloom, 2008, p.14 cited in Ibid.
11. Ifemeje, Sylvia Chika: Gender-based Domestic Violence in Nigeria--A Socio-
Legal Perspective; Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2012,
pp. 137-148.
12. Adriana, Gomez, cited in Violence against Women in India: A Literature
Review by Sheela Saravanan; Institute of Social Science Trust (ISST), March
2000, pp. 3 and 54.
13. Ibid.
14. IPPF Gender-based Violence: An Impediment to Sexual and Reproductive
Health. The Women’s advocacy Session, IPPF Members Assembly, Prague,
1998. http://www.ippf.org/resource/gbv/incipc/pub-.

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15. Elizabeth. Shrader, Monserrat Sagot: Domestic Violence: Women’s Way Out;
Occasional Publication, No. 2, Pan American Health Organization and World
Health Organization, Washington, D. C, U.S.A, 2000, p. 4.
16. Sharma, B.R. Gupta, Manisha: Gender Based Violence in India: A Never-
ending Phenomenon; Journal of International Women’s Studies, Vol. 6, No.
1, 2004, p. 115.
17. Ibid, p.116.
18. Ministry of Women and Child Development, Annual Report, 2011-12,
India, p. 20.
19. Sharma, B.R. Gupta, Manisha: Gender Based Violence in India: A Never-
ending Phenomenon; Journal of International Women’s Studies, Vol. 6, No.
1, 2004, pp. 115-116.
20. Jeajeevhoy, S. J. Cook, R. J: State Accountability for Wife-beating-the India
Challenge; Vol. 349, Lancet, 1997, pp. 10-12 quoted in John Simster and
Judieh Makiwiec: Domestic Violence in India—Efforts of Education—Research
Note; Indian Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 15, No. 3, 2008, p. 390.
21. Shah, H: Violence against Women in Gujarat—Trends Pattern and Responses
in Gujarat on Gender-based Violence; Social Welfare, Vol. 53, No. 5, 2006,
pp. 21-24.
22. Sarkar, M. A: Study on Domestic Violence against Adult and Adolescent
Female in a Rural Area of West Bengal; Indian Journal of Community
Medicine, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2010, pp. 311-315.
23. Ahuja, Chapter-5: Wife Battering; in: Violence against Women, Jaipur and
New Delhi, Rawat Publications, 1998, pp. 151-181.
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