ABSTRACT

Women in India have always been issues of concern. The folks and society at large consider
women as second class citizens. Though we admire and preach them in the name of Durga,
Saraswati, Parvati and Kali, we also abuse her in the form of Child-marriage, Female infanticide,
Sati, Sexual harassment, Dowry and so on. The status of women in India has been subject to
many great alterations over the past few millenniums. From a largely unknown status in ancient
times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many
reformers, the history of women in India has been lively. The status of women has varied in
different time periods.

Violence against women is partly a result of gender relations that assumes men to be superior to
women. Given the subordinate status of women, much of gender violence is considered normal and
enjoys social sanction. Manifestations of violence include physical aggression, such as blows of varying
intensity, burns, attempted hanging, sexual abuse and rape, psychological violence through insults,
humiliation, coercion, blackmail, economic or emotional threats, and control over speech and actions. In
extreme, but not unknown cases, death is the result. These expressions of violence take place in a man-
woman relationship within the family, state and society. Usually, domestic aggression towards women
and girls, due to various reasons remain hidden. Cultural and social factors are interlinked with the
development and propagation of violent behaviour.

Keywords: Sexual Harassment, Rape, Female Infanticide, Dowry, Eve-Teasing, Sexual

Harassment, Acid Attack Kidnapping, and Molestation.

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 INTRODUCTION
Violence against women is experienced by women of all ages and social classes, all races,
religions and nationalities, across the world. It is overwhelmingly perpetrated by men. It is the
most pervasive violation of human rights in the world today. Its forms are both subtle and blatant
and its impact on development is profound and it is so deeply embedded in cultures around the
world that it is almost invisible.

The term violence derives from the Latin word vis, which means force and refers to the notions
of constraint and using physical superiority on the other person. Violence is mutant, as it is
influenced by very different times, places, circumstances and realities. There is tolerated and
condemned violence, as violence has existed on Earth if mankind, assuming different,
increasingly complex and at the same time more fragmented and articulated forms.

The United Nations Declaration on Violence against Women provides a basis for defining
gender-based violence. Per Article 1 of the Declaration, violence against women is to be
understood as: "Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in,physical,
sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or
arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life"1.

The definition is amplified in article 2 of the Declaration, which identifies three areas in
which violence com m only takes place:

1. Physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs in the family, including battering;
sexual abuse of female children in the household; dowry-related violence; marital rape; female
genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women; non-spousal violence; and
violence related to exploitation;
2. Physical, sexual and psychological violence that occurs within the general community,
including rape; sexual abuse; sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational
institutions and elsewhere; trafficking in women; and forced prostitution;
3. Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it
occurs.
1
Y.Gurappa Naidu, Violence Against Women in India, Serials publications, New Delhi,2011.

2
Violence against women is a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between
men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men
and to the prevention of women's full advancement of women".2

KEY THEORETICAL MODELS FOR UNDERSTANDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Violence against women committed by their intimate partners can be analyzed through
theEcological Model, which explains the close relation between individuals and their
environment. Factors influencing people’s behavior towards this violence should be analyzed
with a view to establishing help programs.

The first level identifies biological and personal history factors. Traceable data include personal
and demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, income), antecedents of aggressive or self-
devaluation behaviors, mental or personality disorders and substancerelated disorders.

The second level includes closer relations, such as those between couples and partners,other
family members and friends. It has been observed that these increase the risk of suffering or
perpetrating violent acts. Having friends who commit or incite violent acts can increase the risk
that young people will suffer or execute these actions.

The third level explores the community contexts where social relations are developed in, such as
schools, work places and neighborhoods. Attempts are made to identify the characteristics of
these environments, as they can increase the risk of violent acts. The risk can be influenced by
factors like mobility of the place of residence, population density, high unemployment levels and
existence of drugs traffic in the region.

The fourth level is directed at general factors, related to the structure of society. These factors
contribute to create a climate that incites or inhibits violence, such as the possibility of obtaining
arms due to social and cultural standards. These include standards that prioritize parents’ rights
over their children’s wellbeing, consider suicide as a personal option more than as a preventable
act of violence, reaffirm men’s dominion over women and boys, back the excessive use of police
force against citizens or support political conflicts. This level also includes other facts, such as
sanitary, economic, educative and social policies, which contribute to maintain economic or
social inequalities among groups.3

LEVELS OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE

There are three levels of gender-based violence. These are the home or family level, the
community level and the state level.

Violence within the Home: domestic violence is the most prevalent form of gender-based
violence. It typically occurs when a man beats his female partner. Psychological abuse always
accompanies physical abuse and majority of women abused by their partners are abused many

2
Aadesh K. Devgan , Crime Against Women and Child, Cyber Tech Publications, New Delhi, 2008.
3
ShobhaSaxena, Crimes Against Women and Protective Laws,Deep& Deep Publications Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi,2004.

3
times. Physical, sexual and psychological violence against women within a couple and in the
family, consists of battery, sexual abuse, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices
harmful to women and girls, marital rape, dowry-related violence, incest, non-spousal violence
like a son’s violence against his mother and violence related to exploitation and deprivation of
freedom.

A culture of silence surrounds cases of violence against women in most countries like Nigeria,
making it difficult to get a true picture of its extent. Some of the reasons why it is difficult to
get an accurate account is that most of the gender-based violence occur in the private sphere
within families, inside homes, and out of sight.

Violence Against Women within the General Community: Physical, sexual and psychological
violence occurring within the general community include battery, rape, sexual assault, sexual
harassment and intimidation in school or work, forced treatments and abusive medication, the
exploitation and commercialization of women’s bodies which is related to increased poverty that
is mainly a result of unbridled economic liberalism. These types of violence occurring within the
general community also include contraception imposed on women by constraints or force, forced
sterilization or abortions, selectiveabortion of female fetuses and female infanticide (World
March of Women, 2000).4

Violence Against Women Perpetrated by the State: Physical, sexual and psychological violence
are too often perpetrated or tolerated by states that priorities custom or tradition over the respect
of fundamental freedom. In some countries, the rise of religious fundamentalism is extremely
disturbing about women’s right to their economic autonomy and their freedom of choice. The
social exclusion of women is so great that it constitutes a new form of apartheid. Women are
considered second class beings, of lesser value, deprived of their fundamental rights.

Violence against women is also exercised as a weapon of war in situations of armed conflict. It
has many forms including murder, rape, sexual slavery, hostage taking and forced pregnancy
(World march of Women, 2000).

Coomaraswany cited in Salami (2000), identified some additional violations of human rights and
fundamental freedoms such as the trafficking in women and girls for sex trade, forced
prostitution, rape, sexual abuse and sex tourism that have become the focus of
internationally organized crimes.

WOMEN IN INDIA

The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few
millennia. From a largely unknown status in ancient times through the low points of the medieval
period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reforms, the history of women in India has been
eventful. The current status of women cannot be properly understood without reference to the
predecessor form of womanhood from which it evolved and the process by which it grew. So the
status of women has been traced by dividing into historical phase’s Ancient society, Medieval
society, and Modern society.
4
BedabatiMohanty, Violence Against Women, Kanishka Publishers, Distributors, New Delhi,2005, Pp 48-50, 87-89.

4
Women In Ancient Society-

In ancient India, the women enjoyed equal status with men in all fields of life. Later 500 B.C, the
status of women began to decline with the Smritis and with the Islamic invasion of Babur and the
Mugalempire and later Christianity curtailing women‟s freedom and rights. The women enjoyed
freedom, Status and prestige in the society but did not last long and women finally settled down
to an indoor life.

Women In Medieval Society:

The Indian woman‟s position in the society further deteriorated during the medieval period when
sati among some communities, child marriages and a ban on widow remarriages became part of
social life among some communities in India. In some parts of India, the Devadasi or the temple
women were sexually exploited.

Polygamy was widely practiced especially among Hindu Kshatriya rulers. The women lost their
entity in the 18th century and till the beginning of the 19th century women were totally and
forcefully sublimated male superiority, physically and intellectually.

Women In Modern Society:

Women’s participation in the workforce as well as in other activities increased during the 19th
and from the early period of 20th century due to the upliftment of women started by the
influence of social reforms. As far as India is concerned, the social structure, cultural norms and
value systems are important determinants of women‟s role and their position in society India has
one of the most impressive sets of laws for women. The state to practice protective
discrimination in favour of women.

CRIME AGAINST WOMEN

Crime against women in recent years -there has been an alarming increase in atrocities and
violence against women in the country. It is estimated that the growth rate of crime against
women would be higher than the population growth rate in future, which implies that
progressively a greater number of women are becoming victims of violence. Even in the history
women in various continents of the world have been considered as the physically weaker sex.
The differences of gender and bias which is existing globally places women all over the world at
various disadvantageous positions.5

Crimes against women are assertion of dominance over them and come from the baser instincts
of society. The problem of violence against women is not something new. Even also violence

5
Tamil Nadu Police Crime Report 2007, 7.

5
against women is often not considered as violence because of general acceptance of man’s
superiority in the society. Women themselves do not consider it as violence because of the
misconstrued religious values and resulting socio cultural attitudes. Gender violence is a
common problem now days prevailing in almost all the developing countries. In India the issue
continues unabated creating many hassle and challenges for the social growth.

The old cultural beliefs and tradition have identified various issues of gender – based violence
that over the period of time and which has become a major cause of harassment faced by the
women. In India where almost half of the populations are women, they have always been ill-
treated and deprived of their right to life and personal liberty.Women in the society are always
considered as a physically and emotionally weaker than the males but at present women have
proved themselves in almost every field of life affirming that they are no less than men due to the
hard work whether at home or working places. People in our country are being tortured, beaten
and killed. It is happening in rural areas, towns, cities and in metropolitans as well and is
crossing all social classes, genders, racial lines and age groups. But offences against women
which reflects the pathetic reality that women are just not safe and secure anywhere. According
to a latest report prepared by India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),a crime has been
recorded against women in every three minutes in India. Every 60 minutes, two women are raped
in this country. Every six hours, a young married woman is found beaten to death, burnt or
driven to suicide.6

Violence against women is not a new phenomenon. Women have to bear the burns of domestic,
public, physical as well as emotional and mental violence against them, which affects her status
in the society at the larger extent. The statistics of increasing crimes against women is shocking,
where women are subjected to violence attacks i.e. foeticide, infanticide, medical neglect, child
marriages, bride burning, sexual abuse of girl child, forced marriages, rapes, prostitution, sexual
harassment at home as well as work places etc. In all the above cases women is considered as
aggrieved person.

As women gain influence and consciousness, they will make stronger claims to their
entitlements - gaining further training, better access to credit and higher incomes - and command
attention of police and courts when attacked. As women's economic power grows, it will be
easier to overcome the tradition of "son preference" and thus put an end to the evil of dowry.
Violence against women can fit into several broad categories.

These include violence carried out by ‘individuals’ as well as ‘states’. Some of the forms of
violence perpetrated by individuals are coercive use of contraceptives; female infanticide;
prenatal sex selection; obstetric violence and mob violence; as well as harmful customary or
traditional practices such as honor killings, dowry violence,female genital mutilation, marriage
by abduction and forced marriage.7
6
"Addressing Domestic Violence Against Women: An Unfinished Agenda". Indian Journal of Community Medicine
73–76.
7
"Acid attack on women unchecked and unabated". The Hindu (Madurai) 13 september , 2014.
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The World Health Organization (WHO), in its research on Violence against women, categorized
it as occurring through five stages of the life cycle: 1) pre-birth, 2) infancy, 3) girlhood, 4)
adolescence and adulthood and 5) elderly.

Forms of violence experienced by women throughout their lifespan

PHASE TYPE OF VIOLENCE PRESENT

Pre-birth Sex-selective abortion; battering during
pregnancy; coerced pregnancy.
Infancy Female infanticide; emotional and
physical abuse; differential access to
food and medical care.
Girlhood Child marriage; genital mutilation;
sexual abuse by family members and
strangers; differential access to food,
medical care and education.
Adolescence Violence during courtship; economically
coerced sex (e.g. for school fees); sexual
abuse in the workplace; rape; sexual
harassment; arranged marriage;
trafficking.
Reproductive Age Physical, psychological and sexual abuse
by intimate male partners and relatives;
forced pregnancies by partner; sexual
abuse in the workplace; sexual
harassment; rape; abuse of widows,
including property grabbing and sexual
cleansing practices.
Elderly Abuse of widows, including property
grabbing; accusations of witchcraft;
physical and psychological violence by
younger family members; differential
access to food and medical care.

TYPES AND FORMS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INDIA

(i) Sexual Harassment:

Half of the total number of crime against women reported in 1990 related to molestation and
harassment at the workplace. Eve teasing is a euphemism used for sexual harassment or
molestation of women by men many activists blame the rising incidents of sexual harassment
against women on the influence of “Western culture”.

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(ii) Dowry:

In 1961, the government of India passed the Dowry prohibition Act, making the dowry demands
in wedding arrangements illegal. However, many cases of dowry –related domestic violence,
suicides and murders have been reported. The term for this is “bride burning” and its criticized
within India itself.

(iii) Child Marriage:

Child marriage has been traditionally prevalent in India and continues to this day. Historically,
young girls would live with their parents till they reached puberty. In the past, the child widows
were condemned to a life of great agony, shaving heads, living in isolation, and shunned by the
society. Although child marriage was outlawed in 1860, it is still a common practice.

(iv) Female Infanticides And Sex Selective Abortions:

India has a highly masculine sex ratio, the chief reason being that many women die before
reaching adulthood. It is therefore suggested by many experts, that the highly masculine sex ratio
in India can be attributed to female infanticides and sex-selective abortions. The abuse of the
dowry tradition has been one of the main reasons for sex-selective abortions and female
infanticides in India.

(v) Domestic Violence:

The incidents of domestic violence are higher among the lower socio- economic classes. There
are various instances of an inebriated husband beating up the wife often leading to severe
injuries. Domestic violence is also seen in the form of physical abuse. Domestic violence
includes, harassment, maltreatment, brutality or cruelty and even the threat of assault-
intimidation. It includes physical injury, as well as “willfully or knowingly placing or attempting
to place a spouse in fear of injury and compelling the spouse by force or threat to engage in any
conduct or act, sexual or otherwise, from which the spouse has a right to abstain”. Confining or
detaining the spouse against one’s will or damaging property are also considered as acts of
violence.

(vi) Trafficking:

The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act was passed in 1956. However many cases of trafficking of
young girls and women have been reported. These women are either forced into Prostitution,
domestic work, or child labour.

(vii) Eve- Teasing:

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(i) Eve teasing is an act of terror that violates a woman‟s body, space and self-respect. It is
one of the many ways through which a women is systematically made to feel inferior,
week and afraid. Whether it is an obscene word whispered into a woman‟s ear; offensive
remarks on her appearance; an intrusive way of touching any part of a woman‟s body; a
gesture which is perceived and intended to be vulgar; all these acts represent a violation
of a woman‟s person, her bodily integrity.

(viii) Rape :

One-quarter of the reported rapes involve girls under the age of 16 but the vast majority are
never reported. Although the penalty is severe, convictions are rare. Crimes such as rape as a
form of sexual violence are reported to be on the increase. Around the world, one in five women
have been found to be victims of rape in their lifetime.

Many rapes go unreported because of the stigma and trauma associated with them and the lack
of sympathetic treatment from legal systems. The insecurity outside the household is today the
greatest obstacle in the path of women. Conscious that, compared to the atrocities outside the
house, atrocities within the house are endurable, women not only continued to accept their
inferiority in the house and society, but even called it sweet. In recent years, there has been an
alarming rise in atrocities against women in India. Every 26 minutes a woman is molested. Every
34 minutes a rape takes place. Every 42 minutes a sexual harassment incident occurs. Every 43
minutes a woman is kidnapped. And every 93 minutes a woman is burnt to death over dowry.

(ix) Acid attacks:

At times, acids such as sulphuric acid has been used to disfigure or kill women and girls for
reasons such as family feuds, inability to meet dowry demands and for rejection of marriage
proposals. The Government of India should come out with some more stringent laws to protect
the rights of women who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family, so that
it will work as the preventive measure to eradicate the crime. A strict law to be passed to punish
those women who are filing a false compliant against husband or relatives by misusing of
Domestic Violence Act so that there will be fair justice to all.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL PROVISION FOR WOMEN

The principle of gender equality is enshrined in the Indian Constitution in its Preamble,
Fundamental Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles. The Constitution not only
grants equality to women, but also empowers the State to adopt measures of positive
discrimination in favor of women for neutralizing the cumulative socio economic, education and
political disadvantages faced by them. Within the framework of a democratic polity, our laws,

9
development policies, Plans and programmers have aimed at women’s advancement in different
spheres.8

India has also ratified various international conventions and human rights instruments
committing to secure equal rights of women. Key among them is the ratification of the
Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1936.9

Constitutional Provisions for women are as under:

 Article 14, confers on men and women equal rights and opportunities in political, economic
and social sphere.
 Article 15, prohibits, discrimination against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex
etc.
 Article 16, provides for equality of opportunities matters relating to employment or
appointment to any office under the state.
 Article 39(a)(d), mentions policy security of state equality for both men and women the right
to a means of livelihood and equal pay for equal work for both men and women.
 Article 42, Direct the State to make provision for ensuring just and humane conditions of
work and maternity relief.

Legal Provisions for women are as under:

 Factories Act 1948: Under this Act, a woman cannot be forced to work beyond 8 hours and
prohibits employment of women except between 6 A.M. and 7 P.M.
Maternity Benefit Act 1961: A Woman is entitled 12 weeks’ maternity leave with fullwages.
 The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: Under the provisions of this Act demand of dowry either
before marriage, during marriage and or after the marriage is an offence.
 The Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 : This act provides equal wages for equal work: It
provides for the payment of equal wages to both men and women workers for the same work or
work of similar nature. It also prohibits discrimination against women in the matter of
recruitment.
 The Child Marriage Restrain Act of 1976: This act raises the age for marriage of a girl to 18
years from 15 years and that of a boy to 21 years. Indian Penal Code: Section 354 and 509
safeguards the interests of women.
 The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1971: The Act safeguards women from
unnecessary and compulsory abortions. Amendments to Criminal Law 1983, which provides for
a punishment of 7 years in ordinary cases and 10 years for custodial rape cases.
 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act: reserved 1/3rd seats in Panchayat
 Urban Local Bodies for women.
 The National Commission for Women Act, 1990: The Commission was set up in January,
1992 to review the Constitutional and legal safeguards for women.
 The Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993
 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005: This Act protects women from any
act/conduct/omission/commission that harms,injures or potential to harm is to be considered as

Tamil Nadu records most no. of domestic violence cases". TNN The Times of India 3 December 2012.
8

Crime review Tamil Nadu 2007 (Report). State Crime Records Bureau, Crime Branch CID, Chennai, Tamil
9

Nadu.2007.

10
domestic violence. It protects thewomen from physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological,
economic abuse.
Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010: on November 4, 2010,
the Government introduced protection of Women Against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill,
2010, which aims at protecting the women at workplace not only to women employee but also to
female clients, customer, students, research scholars in colleges and universities patients in
hospitals. The Bill was passed in LokSabha on 3.9.2012.10

NATIONAL INITIATIVES TO CURB THE GENDER VIOLENCE:

(i) National Commission for Women: In January 1992, the Government set-up this statutory body
with a specific mandate to study and monitor all matters relating to the constitutional and legal
safeguards provided for women, review the existing legislation to suggest amendments wherever
necessary, etc.
(ii) Reservation for Women in Local Self –Government: The 73rd Constitutional Amendment
Acts passed in 1992 by Parliament ensure one third of the total seats for women in all elected
offices in local bodies whether in rural areas or urban areas.
(iii) The National Plan of Action for the Girl Child (1991-2000): The plan of Action is to ensure
survival, protection and development of the girl child with the ultimate objective of building up a
better future for the girl child.
(iv) National Policy for the Empowerment of Women, 2001: The Department of Women &Child
Development in the Ministry of Human Resource Development has prepared a “National Policy
for the Empowerment of Women” in the year 2001. The goal of this policy is to bring about the
advancement, development and empowerment of women.
v) National Mission for empowerment of Women, 2010: The launch of the National Mission for
Empowerment of Women in March 2010 is an important development that will provide the
much-required fillip to a coordinated assessment of current government interventionsand
aligning future programmers to translate the MPEW prescription into reality. The Mission was
operationalized during 2011-12.11

ADDRESSING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:

 Commitment, collaboration and capacity is needed for appropriate, sustainable change.

 Preventing violence against women and girls can – and should be – addressed through
different types of strategies.
 Group- or community-based relationship-level interventions working with women and
men
 Women’s economic empowerment initiatives - but only when coupled with approaches to
transform discriminatory and restrictive gender norms
 Community initiatives to raise awareness of and change attitudes about women’s rights

Domestic Violence Against Women in India A.K. Singh, S.P. Singh and S.P. Pandey Journal of Gender Studies.
10

Authors:Nancy A. Crowell and Ann W. Burgess, Editors; Panel on Research on Violence Against Women,
11

National Research Council.

11
  Men and boys’ group education (alongside women and girls and community
mobilization) Shelters for women escaping violence and protection orders
 Survivors of violence need significant levels of support
 Integrated, coordinated approach to addressing violence against women and girlsmay be
the most effective tool available.12

CONCLUSION
Violence against women can be domestic as well as public, Physical, emotional or
mental.Violence against women and girls is rooted in gender-based discrimination and social
normsand gender stereotypes that perpetuate such violence. Given the devastating effect violence
has on women, efforts have mainly focused on responses and services for survivors. However,
the best way to end violence against women and girls is to prevent it fromhappening in the first
place by addressing its root and structural causes.

Violence against women in the country is getting more frequent and alarmingly with huge sound.
It is creating pressure and heavy responsibility over the shoulders of every citizens. However,
there is urgent need for women to be empowered and responsible to themselves to understand all
the rights and take benefits.

Prevention should start early in life, by educating and working with young boys and girls
promoting respectful relationships and gender equality. Working with youth is a “best bet” for
faster, sustained progress on preventing and eradicating gender-based violence. While public
policies and interventions often overlook this stage of life, it is a critical time when values and
norms around gender equality are forged.Women have fear of violence in their mind which
causes the lack of participation in various areas of life. Fear of violence in the women mind has
been so deep which cannot be out easily even after complete removal of violence against women
in the society.

12
An Epidemic of Crimes against Women?". Mint (New Delhi). 13 September 2013.

12
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1.Y.Gurappa Naidu, Violence Against Women in India.

2. Aadesh K. Devgan , Crime Against Women and Child2008.

3.ShobhaSaxena, Crimes Against Women and Protective Laws.

4.Domestic Violence Against Women in India A.K. Singh, S.P. Singh and S.P. Pandey Journal
of Gender Studies.

13