Violence Against Women in India

Word Count: 1227

(Photo: Danish Ismail)

Figure 1: India Map

India is located in South Asia and lies in the Northern hemisphere, where the
mainland extends between latitudes 8°4'N and 37°6'N and longitudes 68°7'E and
97°25'E and is bordered by the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian
Sea (Maps of India, n.d.) (see figure 1).

Level of well-being

India is a developing country with the world’s

second highest population of approximately
1.38 billion people (Michigan State University,
2022). Despite its developing status, India has
been recognised as one of the fastest growing
nations. Its substantial economic growth is
evident in the increasing GDP annual growth
rate of 13.5% in 2022 (Taborda, 2022). This
economic development directly correlates with the improvement in human well-
being within the country.

Human well-being is universally defined as the quality of life and is experienced

when an individual is able to live a long and happy life (Ashton, Jones and Mraz,
2013). The Human Development Index(HDI) is an average measure of human
development and well-being in three dimensions, including health, access to
knowledge, and the standard of living (World Health Organization, 2022).
According to Human Development Reports, India's HDI value is 0.633 in 2021,
which is classified in the medium human development category and ranks 132 out
of 191 countries. Over the past three decades, the level of well-being experienced by
the population has steadily increased by 45.9% (see figure 2). This is primarily due
to the change of 268.1% in GNI per capita, resulting in better living conditions
which lead to longer life expectancy and higher years of schooling, rising by 8.6
years and 3.9 years respectively (UNDP, 2022).

Figure 2: Trends in India’s HDI 1990-2021

However, gender inequality still remains an issue in India, as shown by the Gender
Inequality Index(GII) rating of 0.490 (see figure 3) and 36% of women report a fear
of walking alone at night (international youth foundation, 2017).

Figure 3: GII in comparison (India and the world) 1990-2021 Note: lower GII values indicate
better performance in regard to gender inequality
Violence against women

In India, 650 million girls and women are born into a social and cultural system
that’s steeped in gender inequality. One of the most threatening manifestations of
structural and institutional gender-based discrimination is violence against
women(VAW) (Narayan, 2018). VAW is a violation of basic human rights, where
women are deprived of equality, dignity, security, fundamental rights, and
freedoms, and impeded from fully participating in society. The violence transcends
boundaries of race, culture, classes, and regions, jeopardising the human well-
being and development of the population by taking both concealed and blatant
forms (Ghooi and Deshpande, 2013).

Women in the patriarchal society of India face brutality in nearly every sphere of
life at all ages. The subtle violence happens before birth, signified in the male-
biased sex ratio which stems from pre-birth elimination (Violence Against Women
In India, n.d.). It’s estimated that there have been 63 million missing female births
ever since the emergence of sex-selective abortion in the 1970s (Dhillon, 2020).
Moreover, the deeply entrenched societal attitudes towards women in the country
further perpetuate the violence. VAW within the family is generally perceived as a
private affair beyond the domain of law, though widely pervasive, the violence is
trivialised and normalised in society (ICRW, 2004). As reported by a community-
based study (Sharma, 2015), 42% out of 450 women experience physical and sexual
abuse, and 23% experience verbal abuse and threats, yet 56% of women believe
that wife battering is justified. This reflects how women are socialised into
conforming with the unjust power relations.

Furthermore, the pervasive physical, psychological, sexual and economic abuse is

demonstrated by the escalations of crime against women, which includes domestic
abuse, sexual abuse, rape, acid attacks, honour killings, persecution for dowry,
trafficking, and forced prostitution (Thirugnanam, 2020). According to the
National Crime Records Bureau(NCRB), a single act of sexual harassment occurs
within the country every 59 minutes, one incident of rape every 34 minutes, and
every 6 hours, a married woman is beaten to death, burnt, or driven to suicide
(Agrawal, 2020). Moreover, a study conducted (Harbishettar and Math, 2014)
points out that 26% out of 10000 Indian women reported having experienced
physical violence during their lifespan. As a consequent, a majority of the victims
suffer from sexually transmitted diseases, and mental illnesses such as post-
traumatic stress disorder, depression, and self-harm (Dandona et al., 2022).Their
socioeconomic well-being is also adversely affected, causing unemployment, loss
of income and social isolation (Harbishettar and Math, 2014).

VAW has a detrimental effect on the population’s physical and mental health,
human right to equal opportunities, and socioeconomic well-being, thus
obstructing the development of the entire country.
“We Can” Campaign

As crimes against women continue to grow at an alarming rate (see figure 4),
greater numbers of women are becoming susceptible to various kinds of
intolerable violence (Das and Mohanty, 2020). The Indian government and civil
society organisations have gradually begun to recognise the pervasive problem as a
public concern rather than simply a private family matter. In order to strive for
gender equality and improvement in the population’s well-being, the “We Can”
campaign was launched in 2004 and implemented in 13 states, reaching 219
districts in the country (Green, n.d.). Through examining conducted research, it is
discovered that the campaign is extremely effective, highly relevant, and has
prompted significant changes.

Figure 4: Crime against women 2010-2019 (NCRB)

“We Can” is a non-government initiative developed by the Oxfam GB gender
working group in South Asia, with an aim to achieve a fundamental shift in
gender-biased societal attitudes and social norms that justify VAW, progressing
towards the extensive social transformation of individuals, communities, and
societies within India (Williams and Aldred, 2011). To accomplish such goals, the
campaign has evolved into a large-scale movement that’s catalysing changes in
beliefs and behaviours regarding violence against women. The general public is
encouraged to join the campaign and become change makers, where they agree to
not perpetuate any form of violence against women under any circumstances, as
well as motivate at least 10 people to assist in preventing and eradicating VAW
(OXFAM, 2012). The initiative also collaborates with educational institutions, mass
media, social organisations, and local police departments in building a
comprehensive knowledge of gender equality and advocate for women’s rights
(Mehta and Gopalakrishnan, 2007).

Results and Outcomes

As a result of the campaign, there’s an exceptional change in societal attitude and

beliefs concerning VAW among the 7.4 million women and men involved (Green,
n.d.). Studies have shown that the change makers along with their circles of
influence have commenced approximately 21 million discussions on violence
against women. An estimation of 200,000 change makers has been actively
disseminating messages of gender equality and nonviolence in their homes and
communities (Raab, 2011). The deeper understanding of VAW has sparked notable
changes. Physical and psychological abuse against women has declined, on the
other hand, there’s more sharing of household chores, greater mobility, more
women are allowed to pursue education, and lower incidents of child marriage
(Shakti, 2017).
In addition, the campaign also has led to positive development in educational
institutions and local administration. Courses on girls’ and women’s rights are
introduced into the school's curriculum, and obligatory lessons on VAW using “We
Can” materials are taught at the Police Academy in Bhubaneswar (Raab, 2011).

Overall, the “We Can” Campaign is remarkably successful in improving the human
well-being of health, education, security, and social relations, and has majorly
contributed to the social transformation in perceptions of gender roles and VAW in
India.

References

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