Domestic Violence and women.
I experienced the trauma of Domestic violence when my nearest relative became the victim
of this violence. During that period I did not know much about domestic violence and it is a social problem. This incident left a horrifying affect on my mind. At last that particular case ended in a divorce. But then so many questions regarding the status of women in society arose in my mind for years together. Women become victims of this bitter reality because of the unequal structure of society and, in a number of circumstances; the result is suicide or death
Do you know violence against women in India is on an alarming rise? A recent study showed that:
· Every 26 minutes, a woman is molested;
· Every 34 minutes, a rape takes place;
· Every 42 minutes, sexual harassment incident occurs;
· Every 43 minutes, a woman is kidnapped; and
· Every 93 minutes, a woman is burnt to death over dowry.
One-quarter of the reported rapes involve girls under the age of 16. However, unfortunately, the vast majority of cases are never reported.
The problem is that people are not aware about the real meaning of domestic violence in India ,as most of them are illiterate and doesn’t know about there rights. Therefore the question arises in many minds, what all comes in domestic violence -Domestic violence is generally associated with very obvious physical, sexual and psychological abuse and torture of the woman. However, the scope of domestic violence extends further. It includes all such acts of intimidation and cruelty which force women to seek the help of outside agencies, other than the family or kin group. These acts include abuse in the following areas: Mental; Emotional; Sexual; Financial. It also refers to violence, perpetrated within the home and the family. Far from being a haven of safety and security, the family can be a ‘cradle of violence’. Much of the violence within a home is directed against female members. One form of domestic violence is ‘wife battering’ –here, violence, is inflicted by the husband on the wife.
Women in India face the most domestic abuse compared to their counterparts in the developing world. This was revealed in a new United Nations-funded survey on violence against women.
According to the survey, at least 42% of women in Thiruvananthapuram said they had experienced severe psychological trauma, followed by 16.2% in Lucknow and 15.2% in Chile.
Cases of verbal abuse were again the highest in Thiruvananthapuram, with 46.6% of respondents saying they were regularly humiliated by their husbands. The figure was 38% in Chile, 20% in Lucknow and 18.8% in Vellore. In the Philippines, 11% of respondents reported being humiliated by their spouses, while in Egypt there was a mere 7% of such cases.
So what are the remedies available for the women going through this hell, the options open to her:
Matrimonial relief;
Suit for a civil wrong;
Recourse to Criminal law.
Without going in for the extreme measure of a divorce, it is possible for an abused woman to obtain certain injunctions under the Code of Civil Procedure, the Specific Relief Act and Common Law. Injunctions (An injunction is a legal process, by which one, who has invaded or threatened to invade another’s rights, is restrained from doing so. Thus, it is possible to restrain a husband or his relatives from abusing a woman and inflicting violence by means of an injunction.) are also available to the woman, under Section 7(1) (d) of the Family Courts Act.. Thus, an abused woman can obtain a non-molestation order from the Civil Court or Family Court, restraining her husband from abusing her, physically and mentally. Molestation includes violence and harassment as well.
It must also be noted that a Court, along with the order for ouster or injunction, canalso order other collateral relief’s, such as the custody of children and their maintenance.
However, it must be noted that such non-molestation orders are not specifically recognized under Indian law. There are many NGO’s which help the victim of domestic violence to fight for their rights.
A women suffers from all this violence just because of their illiteracy and ignorant behaviour towards their rights, its not necessary that they have to send to some special class, we literate people should take the responsibility of creating awareness about this, and it can be started from our house, you can teach your maids who are a regular victim of domestic violence.
Let’s make this world a better place to live; and have a right kind of attitude which will definitely help in the long run in lessening crime against women.