Shocker: 64% of Kashmiri women ok with wife-beating

A survey has found that most women in Jammu and Kashmir justify wife-beating. “Sixty-four per cent of women in Jammu and Kashmir believe it is justifiable, 51% women say wife-beating is justified if a woman shows disrespect to her in-laws, 50% approve it if she neglects the house or children, 48% approve wife-beating if the husband suspects she is unfaithful,” says the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted under the aegis of Union ministry of health and family welfare.

Also, over 54% of women and almost 71% of men in J&K believe a woman is justified in refusing sex with her husband if she knows that he has sexually transmitted diseases, if he has intercourse with other women of if she is tired or not in the mood. Around 13% of the state's women, 15% of them married, have experienced physical or sexual violence. The prevalence of spousal violence however, is lower in J&K when compared to other states, except Himachal Pradesh.

“The prevalence of spousal violence increases with women’s age and decreases with women’s education level. Women whose mothers were beaten by their fathers are three and half times more likely to be in abusive marriages themselves,” says the report.

State Commission for Women (SCW) secretary Hafiza Muzaffar said they have four to five cases of domestic violence listed in the commission everyday. “Dowry demands, poverty and other reasons breed domestic violence. Plus 20 years of turmoil have also aggravated the situation with men becoming more disturbed,” she said.

Jammu and Kashmir has now decided to introduce a bill in the assembly to protect women against domestic violence. “We need to address the issue of domestic violence and discrimination against women very seriously. The new law will empower women to seek their rights and live in dignity,” social welfare minister Sakeena Ittoo said.