India is witnessing an unprecedented rise in crimes against women. While domestic abuse, kidnapping, tops the chart, rape, honor killing, and dowry deaths are other common categories of gender violence that women face in India on a daily basis.
Domestic abuse
Domestic abuse refers to crime perpetrated by the members of the family. While domestic abuse is often underreported due to stigma and societal pressure, it takes a toll on the physical and mental health of the survivor. Home should ideally be a safe space where individuals are meant to find solace and shelter. However, domestic abuse in the forms of incestuous rape, marital rape, and physical aggression scars individual for life.
Instead of ensuring protection and security, the perpetrators of such gender violence are often close relatives of the woman. They are unable to disclose their identity and resist the crime due to their close association with the perpetrators of the gender violence. They tend to develop certain clinical conditions as a result of prolonged exposure to domestic violence.
The Report of the National Crime Record Bureau, 2022, shows domestic abuse accounts for 31.4% of reported crimes against women. Moreover, practical considerations about subsistence also hinder a victim’s decision to walk out of such an abusive space. For a woman who is economically dependent on her husband and lacks the support of her maternal home, walking out of an abusive marriage is a daunting task. Similarly, children are the most vulnerable and are often unaware of the gravity of the crime.
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Kidnapping of Women
Kidnapping and abduction of women is another category of gender violence that impacts the lives of women. Often, adolescent girls are trafficked and sold into prostitution. As per the data provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), over 6,500 human trafficking victims were identified in 2022, of whom 60% comprised women and girls. Although some of them are rescued by sincere efforts of certain NGOs and the Government, their rehabilitation and reintegration back into society poses a significant challenge.
Often, they are not welcomed by their own parents, who disown them due to the stigma associated with victims of trafficking. These young girls find themselves isolated and ostracized by society for no fault of their own. In March 2024, four women were arrested for kidnapping a 5-year-old with the intention of trafficking the child.
Rape
Rape and gang rape seem unabated in a country like India, which boasts a rich tradition of worshipping goddesses. As per the data provided by the NCRB, India witnesses reported a case of rape every 51 minutes. While this is a shocking fact in itself, there are many cases that go unreported owing to the societal stigma and the pressure created on the victim and her family. More often than not, the perpetrators are known to the victim. Again, gender violence not only affects interpersonal relationships but also affects women’s workplaces.
Despite the Vishakha Guidelines that are in place, Indian corporates and Government departments are struggling alike to ensure the safety of women employees and prevent gender violence. Even our mode of transport is not safe for women as often these instances of gender based violence take place in buses, trains and other moving vehicles. The horrific rape and murder of the resident female doctor in RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 of the current year once again highlighted the systemic gender violence prevalent in the Indian society.
The table below is based on the data provided by the NCRB highlighting the gender violence against women:
Gender Based Violence in India | Cases Reported | Percentage |
Cruelty by Husband or His Relatives | 1,40,011 | 31.40% |
Kidnapping & Abduction of Women | 85,483 | 19.20% |
Assault or Wrongful Restraint of Women with Intent to Outrage Her Modesty | 83,673 | 18.70% |
Rape | 31,677 | 7.10% |
Dowry Deaths | 7,321 | 1.60% |
Other Crimes Against Women | 96,081 | 21.60% |
Total | 4,45,256 | 100% |
Dowry Deaths
Although Dowry practices are strictly prohibited in India by the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, it is a menace that is deeply entrenched within the social rubric of the Indian Society. It is a malpractice that affects the lives of women irrespective of their caste, gender, class, profession and other dimensions of social identity. The mounting pressure on the bride’s family to arrange for her daughter’s dowry often takes a mental and physical toll on the family. The potential pressure exerted on the family of the bride is often the cause that encourages the malpractice of female infanticide. Dowry-related deaths are so common in India that it has been normalised to a major extent.
The failure to provide the promised sum as dowry or to gain more than what has been promised often pushes the young bride to the brink of suicide. Often, she is killed by her husband and in-laws in case her family has failed to meet the demands. Recently, in a shocking incident almost a year and a half after a woman’s death under mysterious circumstances in Ludhiana, the police registered a case of dowry death against the husband and his family for inflicting brutal torture on her. The manner of registering a case almost one and half years after the death shows the prevalence of the crime and the apathy with which such cases are treated.
Honour Killing
Honor killing refers to gender based violence that involves the killing of a female member of the family by a male member of the same family for bringing dishonor to the family by going against the wishes of the family members in choosing a partner for marriage. Now, owing to the complexity of the Indian Society that is rooted in hierarchical caste dynamics and multicultural and multi-religious ethos, honor killing assumes a significant proportion of crime rates against women. Inter-faith marriage, inter-caste marriage and eloping have become the major cause of honor-killing in India, especially in the rural pockets, which are traditionally conservative.
Recently, three instances of honor killing at quick succession in the state of Haryana have brought the rising instances of gender based violence back into the consciousness of the nation. In one of the instances, as young as 17-year-old brother shot his newly married sister, who hails from the Gurjar community, for marrying a Scheduled Caste boy in the Kaithal district of Haryana.
FAQ
What is the most common form of gender violence in India?
According to the NCRB data, cruelty by husbands or their relatives is the most common form of gender violence in India, accounting for 31.4% of reported cases.
How often does a rape occur in India?
The NCRB reports that a rape is reported every 51 minutes in India. However, the actual number of rapes could be higher due to underreporting as the victims had to endure the burden of social stigma.
What are the main reasons for underreporting of gender based violence in India?
Many victims of gender violence do not report the crimes due to fear of stigma, lack of trust in the authorities, and the complex legal processes involved.
What is dowry death?
Dowry deaths often occur when the bride’s family fails to meet the demands of the groom’s family for dowry, resulting in violence or even murder. In India, dowry death remains a prevalent crime against women.