Just ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women (25 November), the brutal murder and mutilation of a young woman by her partner has drawn attention to intimate partner violence, which has been called a part of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence. Also recognized under Act 2005 (PWDVA) A kind of domestic violence, Many questions are arising. Why did he choose her? Why didn’t he leave? As evidenced by their efforts to seek help, we must also ask: why were they not effective?
Domestic violence is a punishable offense under Indian law. This is a violation of human rights. However, the latest round of National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) reveals that we live in a society where violence against women persists to such an extent that 32% of married women aged 18-49 have ever experienced emotional, Have experienced physical or sexual violence. More rural women than urban women report experiences of domestic violence. It also does not reflect the prevalence of violence by other family members.
17 years ago the PWDVA, a progressive law was passed, promising an inclusive approach – including civil and criminal protection – to protect and support women from violence within the home, not just husbands From. But despite the law on paper, women are still largely unable to access the law in practice. Its promises and provisions remain unevenly implemented, unavailable and out of reach of most Indian women.
The most disheartening reality is that despite nearly one-third of women being victims of domestic violence, the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) reports that only 14% of women facing domestic violence have ever sought help; And this number is very less in rural areas. In a country where domestic violence is a crime, where there are many laws explicitly designed to protect women from violence, why is it that most women who are victims of domestic violence never seek help?
questions and responses
Our research in Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu aims to better understand ‘Help-seeking’ and facing the everyday realities, barriers, prejudices and fears that women experience when sharing and reporting experiences of violence. Simple and meaningful question – “Why didn’t you leave earlier?” “Why didn’t you tell anyone about the violence earlier?” – The most complex and contradictory reactions can occur.
Women hoped that things would change, that they could change their husband’s behavior, that he would listen to them. Importantly, women did not want to be a ‘burden’ on others, especially their families. ‘My mother has a lot of worries, she has her own life so I didn’t want to add my worries to my worries.’ By naming the violence they experienced, women believed they would become a ‘problem’ or a source of ‘stress’ for their families, regardless of the victim’s level of education, caste or class, and shamed them. And will have to face humiliation. For migrant women, transgender people or those with multiple sisters, or sick, aged or deceased parents, it was felt even more acutely that it was their personal responsibility to manage the perpetrator’s violence.
on asking for help
When it comes to seeking help, we found two main groups of women – those who shared experiences of violence within six months, and those who shared after five years or more. The first group of women turned primarily to their parents, who, in most cases, insisted on their daughter preserving the family environment, which she had to ‘adjust’ to her husband’s (and her family’s) better needs. ‘ Or should be done by adjusting. In a minority of cases, the welfare of the daughter was prioritized over the well-being of the ‘family’ and steps were taken to mediate or help her out of the relationship, and in very few police and lawyers were contacted.
For survivors who took longer to seek help, the actions of relatives or neighbors who witnessed the violence were often instrumental in turning their situations around. So were important ‘turning’ or ‘tipping’ points such as a survivor’s increased concern for the safety of her children, the discovery of a husband’s affair or when the violence became “too much” and medical help was needed. Survivors struggling to imagine getting out of a relationship because of financial insecurity and/or patriarchal norms related to property ownership were more likely to wait until such a point before seeking help.
data | Silent survivors: 80% wives in Tamil Nadu say husbands beating them is justified
Social norms about gender inequality are so ingrained that NFHS-5 data reports that women are more likely than men to justify a scenario in which a husband beating or hitting his wife is acceptable. As one interviewee explained, ‘the way we adapted it was hard to complain about any suffering’. However survivors who (finally) confided in relatives and friends about domestic violence described feeling a ‘sense of relief’ and a ‘burden lifted’, giving them new ‘hope’ that things could change .
While sharing experiences of violence was an incredibly powerful step for women, actually changing their violent domestic experiences and accessing services and supports provided by state and non-state actors is a process of feelings, promises, uncertainty, fear. and proved to be a rough roller coaster of disappointment. , With few safe houses across India, the simple reality was that many women had nowhere else to go, and access to legal justice through the courts was limited only to women with independent property and connections or those supported by specialist NGOs. There was a physical possibility for
Therefore, for many survivors, changing their status depended on them achieving economic self-sufficiency by pursuing new skills and livelihood opportunities.
role of police
Women who reported experiences of violence to the police were apprehensive about the outcome. Although a small minority had positive experiences, for most of the people we interviewed, police violence was part of the problem rather than the solution. Across states, we hear that the police are more likely to send women back to violent homes to reconcile with the perpetrator or to use violence against the perpetrators to file an official complaint or to report the women to security officers and other service providers. as a deterrent rather than as a link to providers. The PWDVA outlines what they should do. Many states have not yet implemented conservation officers. And where they are in office, they are under-resourced, under-skilled and overworked, making their dispatches impossible.
Read this also |SC to protect women victims of domestic violence
While sharing experiences of violence was a powerful step for women, access to services and support often led to uncertainty, fear and hopelessness.
Women are well aware that the state serves patriarchal and heterosexual interests first. The state is failing women. Even though its legislature recognizes that domestic violence is a crime, and civil remedies through protection orders exist, the consequences of domestic violence are still being managed for the survivor and family. This is the biggest crime happening against women today.
Philippa Williams, Swarna Rajagopalan, Girija Godbole and Ruchira Goswami are members of the Surviving Violence Research Project. Visit: www.survivingviolence.org