Within the four walls of homes, the violence against women is quite high. Domestic violence against is widely prevalent, but has remained largely invisible. Statistics reveal that 45% of Indian women are slapped, kicked or beaten by their husbands. (ICRW 2002) .32% had committed acts of violence against their pregnant wives. Every 60 minutes a woman dies in India due to domestic violence. Women accept violence because social norms sanction them. At the same time, cultural conditioning and economic dependence prevent the vast majority of women leaving their marital homes. Though there is criminal law to prevent domestic violence, the recent civil law “Protection of women from Domestic Violence” is aimed at providing relief, compensation and support to a woman.
Your husband or partner commits any of the following acts of violence against you or your child
Verbal and emotional violence
Insult –not attractive, not smart, doesn't respect him/his parents
accusing/insulting your parents
Name – calling
Accusations on your character or conduct etc
Insult for not having a male child
Insults for not bringing dowry etc
Preventing you or a child in your custody from attending school, college or any other educational institutions
Preventing you from taking up a job
Forcing you to leave your job
Preventing you or a child in your custody from leaving the house
Preventing you from meeting any person in the normal course of events.
Threat to commit suicide
Economic Violence
Not providing you money for maintaining you or your children
Not providing food, clothes, medicines etc, for you or your children
Stopping you from carrying on your employment
Not allowing you to take up on employment or
Taking away your income from your salary, wages etc
Not allowing you to use your salary wages etc
Forcing you out of the house you live in
Stopping you from accessing or using any part of the house
Not allowing use of clothes, articles, or things of general household use,
Not paying rent if staying in a rented accommodation etc.
Physical violence
Slapping
Beating
Hitting
Biting
Kicking
Punching
Pushing
Shoving or
Causing bodily pain or injury in any other manner
Sexual Violence
Forced sexual intercourse
Forced you to look at pornography or any other obscene pictures or material
Any act of sexual nature to abuse humiliates or degrade you, or which is otherwise violating of your dignity or any other unwelcome conduct or sexual nature
Remember the Govt recently enacted Domestic Violence Act.
Salient features of the DV Act are:
PWDVA seeks to cover all those women who are or have been in a domestic relationship with a man including live-in relationships, bigamous marriage and fraudulent marriages.
The Act gives the women right to reside in the shared household.
Protection orders can be given by the magistrate immediately to stop violence.
It provides counseling for both parties singly or jointly.
The act stipulates that within 3 days the case has to be registered and in 60 days all requisite relief measure to be given.
