India has reached a critical juncture in its journey towards sustainable development, but this cannot be ensured without equal participation of its women, and without a strong commitment to gender equality and eliminating Gender-Based Violence (GBV).
GBV is a massive problem that women face across the country, irrespective of whether they live in rural or urban India. It can be broadly categorized into:
Sexual violence (rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment)
Physical violence (physical assault including hitting, kicking, punching, etc)
Emotional violence (psychological abuse)
Economic violence (denial of resources)
Harmful traditional practices (forced marriages, female genital mutilation)
According the National Family Health Survey-4, every third woman from the age of 15 has faced some form of domestic violence in the country. While the numbers are self-explanatory, the number of cases reported by women in both rural and urban India are at 29% and 23% respectively. Additionally, numbers provided by the United Nation Population Fund Report reveal 66% of married Indian women have suffered from domestic violence and as many as 70% of married women in India between the age of 15 and 49 are subjected to beating, rape or forced sex. The NFHS-4 data also reveals that one in five women and girls under the age of 50 will have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner within the last 12 months.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, GBV is deeply rooted in discriminatory cultural beliefs and attitudes. Other factors such as poverty, lack of education and awareness, and lack of livelihood opportunities, birth of a girl child, and alcoholism, that culminates from the lack of a job, reinforce a culture of violence.
Effects of GBV
Effects of GBV can be devastating and long-lasting and pose danger to a woman’s overall health, including reproductive health. In addition, GBV can scar a survivor psychologically, cognitively and interpersonally. A woman who experiences domestic violence and lives in an abusive relationship may be forced to become pregnant or have an abortion against her will, or her partner may expose her to a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Younger people are especially at risk and this can have lasting consequences for their sexual and productive health. The costs can include unwanted pregnancies, STIs, physical injury, trauma and chronic mental depression.
The legal framework to address GBV
The PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT, 2005, envisions a clear framework for women survivors that enables them to lead their life with dignity. Under the purview of this Act, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India has mandated district authorities to ensure that at least one Swadhar Greh (shelter home) is set up in every district with a capacity to provide shelter, food, clothing and medical treatment to about 30 women and rehabilitate them emotionally and economically.
Other salient provisions within the Act:
- Apart from the victim herself, the complaint regarding an act of domestic violence can also be lodged by ‘any person who has a reason to believe that’ such an act was committed or is being committed.
- The magistrate has been given powers to permit the aggrieved woman to stay in her place of choice. She cannot be evicted by her male relatives in retaliation.
- The respondent can be prohibited from dispossessing the aggrieved person or in any other manner disturbing her possessions or entering the aggrieved person’s place of work, (if the aggrieved person is a child, the school).
- The magistrate can impose monthly payments of maintenance on the respondent.
- The respondent can pay a penalty up to one year and a fine of up to Rs 20,000 under the Act. The offence is also considered cognizable and non-bailable.
- The Act ensures speedy justice.
- The Act makes provisions for state to provide for protection officers and status of ‘service providers’ and ‘medical facility’.
Additionally, women who are survivors of GBV also have the right to free legal services under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
Gaps in implementation
While there is a strong law in place to address GBV, proper implementation and awareness amongst the public is still lacking. Even on social media - which has become the platform for GBV – understanding about laws is vague.
When it comes to law enforcement, India needs more women police personnel. In March 2017, the government admitted a shortage of women in the force, saying that only 7% of the total police strength in India comprised women.
Secondly, the Indian police is short-staffed. A 2013 report said that the rural police in the country did not even meet the 1960 standard, while a revelation in the Lok Sabha in 2016 showed that India was short of half a million police officers across the country.
Role of Stakeholders
Stakeholders right from the central and state governments to individual citizens have a significant role to play in curbing GBV. While political parties in India have addressed GBV as a major issue, numbers suggest lack of implementation at the ground level. Gender inequality is a complex issue to understand and report about, and the complexities increase manifold while addressing GBV. Gender-based violence is a phenomenon deeply rooted in gender inequality and continues to be one of the most notable human rights violations within all societies. At this time, it is the role of journalists reporting on GBV to be trained and sensitised. News organisations, too, should adopt and enforce stronger policies and put the onus on editors and reporters to take responsibility while covering such sensitive topics.
The FPA India initiative to prevent and mitigate Gender Based Violence
Family Planning Association of India, a leading national NGO, plans to launch a nationwide campaign #StreeHinsaMuktBharatAbhiyaan aimed at strengthening its work around GBV. The campaign coincides with the 16 days of activism against GBV, an international campaign to challenge violence against girls and women, kicked off from November 25, 2018, which is observed as International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.
#StreeHinsaMuktBharatAbhiyaan involves
Awareness and sensitization of communities to prevent GBV
Identifying and helping those in need to access care and support
Empowering young women with life skills training to say ‘no’ to violence
Reducing the stigma around survivors of violence and create an enabling environment for them to live with dignity
Conducting income generation activities for women
Appealing to men and boys to break away from the rigid norms of patriarchy
Engaging with diverse stakeholders to do their bit to prevent and mitigate GBV
Creating a cadre of individuals who will take a pledge neither to commit nor tolerate GBV
Under the aegis of this campaign a stakeholders’ consultation and media meet is organized on December 12, 2018 at the Mumbai Press Club to address GBV in the country. Statistics and impact of GBV on the health and well-being of survivors, the legal framework to seek recourse and secondary prevention and the role of the development sector and media in creating an enabling environment to prevent and mitigate GBV, testimonials from survivors of GBV as well as agents of change from the community, who have made a difference, to prevent or mitigate gender based violence will be discussed and presented during this meeting.
About FPA India:
Established in 1949, the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) is a founding member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Its work in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) covers safe motherhood and child survival, empowerment of women, male involvement, adolescent health and youth development. FPAI works closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the government.
Recognised as India’s leading and largest sexual reproductive health (SRH) organisation and having nearly seven decades of experience in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), FPA India presently operate in 44 Branches and Projects across 18 States in India.
Over the years, FPA India has helped millions of poor and vulnerable people living in rural and urban areas to improve their reproductive and sexual health by strengthening access to high quality SRH information and services and promoting sexual and reproductive rights. The integrated package of services provided through the 40 static clinics of FPA India comprises of family planning, maternal and child health, safe abortion services, health of adolescents and young, HIV/AIDS and sexuality related services to prevention and mitigation of gender-based violence towards promoting a gender equal society.
FPA India has conducted several educational sessions on gender inequalities, GBV, and discrimination. In 2017, more than 145,000 persons were screened for GBV. Timely and proper referral remains one of the core aspects of quality of care for FPA India. In 2017, branches established 6342 support groups for GBV survivors that resulted in 42,000 persons availing various GBV related counselling services.
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