Nearly one-third of married women in India have experienced physical or sexual violence.
“29.3 per cent of married Indian women between the ages of 18 and 49 have experienced domestic/sexual violence; 3.1 per cent of pregnant women aged 18 to 49 have suffered physical violence during their pregnancy,” the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 2019-2021 figures reveal.
That is only the number of cases reported by women; there are frequently many more that never make it to the police.
In 2021, just 507 instances were registered across India under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, whereas 136,000 complaints were registered under Indian Penal Code Section 498A (cruelty by husband or his relatives).
According to NFHS data, 87 per cent of married women who are victims of marital violence do not seek help.
The National Commission for Women said in 2020-21, it received 26,513 complaints from women, an increase of 25.09 per cent, compared with the 20,309 complaints registered in 2019-20, testifying to the global trend that during the pandemic, more women were victims of domestic violence than before.
