According to the National Crime Records Bureau, 94,041 cases of cruelty by husbands and relatives on a woman were reported throughout the country and accounted for 4.2% of the crime in the country.
The rate of conviction was a mere 19%. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) may have come into existence in 2005. But six years down the line, the cases of domestic violence experienced by women continue, irrespective of whether they are in cities or villages.
“More often than not, a woman suffers in silence. Even when they do come out in the open, people who should be her immediate support group try to brush the issue under the carpet, calling it a private thing or a family affair,” said Meghana Rao, manager, communications of Breakthrough, a human rights organisation that works on issues such as violence against women, sexuality, and HIV/Aids.
“But domestic violence is not a private family affair. Pushing domestic violence under the carpet
will not help anyone,” she said.
Despite having a law that deals with the issue and offers women both help and rehabilitation, the lack of awareness on the Act has resulted in only a very few number of people using it, she added.
“Considering the law is progressive, not many people understand it. Women have been suffering domestic violence for centuries. Considering that they have been internalising violence in such a way, it will take time to see a behavioural change,” she said.
One of the core areas where awareness has to be created is with regard to the
protection officers that every police station is supposed to have. “But most stations do not have a designated protection officer and, more often than not, a constable or someone is assigned the role along with his other duties,” she said.
“The fact that women have negative experiences when they go to police to complain about domestic violence makes it all the more imperative that every police station needs to have a dedicated officer who is trained to help and protect these women,” she added. She said that most people are also not aware that live-in relationships also come under the ambit of the law.
Domestic violence does not simply imply physical violence. “Marital rape, verbal abuse, economic deprivation, sexual exploitation as well as intellectual deprivation are all forms of domestic abuse and not a lot of people know that,” she said.
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