Gender-Based Violence in India

Source: The post gender-based violence in India has been created, based on the article “The issue of institutional violence, addressing it” published in “The Hindu” on 6th August 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2 – Social Justice – Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections.

Context: The article discusses India’s electoral process and highlights the neglect of women’s safety issues by politicians and voters. It describes the severe challenges women face, including institutional violence and systemic barriers, and calls for trauma-informed justice reforms and greater public demand for women’s safety.

For detailed information on On Crimes Against Women read Article 1, Article 2

How Severe is Gender-Based Violence in India?

1. Nearly 50% of women in India face domestic violence.
2. Two-thirds of Dalit women experience sexual violence in their lifetimes.
3. Only 1% of women facing intimate partner violence seek divorce, resulting in one of the lowest divorce rates in the world.
4. 77% of women remain silent about the violence they endure, even to close relatives.

What are the Challenges in Seeking Justice?

1. Institutional Violence: Survivors face systemic barriers, starting even before they report violence.
2. Police Attitudes: 39% of officers believe complaints of gender-based violence are baseless.
3. Reporting Barriers: Police often discourage women from filing complaints, as seen in the case where police tried to dissuade a woman and sent her to different stations.
4. Judicial Delays: India has a backlog of 40 million court cases, which severely impacts survivors seeking justice.
5. Rural Challenges: Male-dominated and upper-caste panchayats add more obstacles for women in rural areas.

What Should be Done?

1. Implement trauma-informed and survivor-centric training for police and judicial officials, as practiced by organizations like Vanangna.
2. Adopt national policies that focus on the wisdom of survivors, especially those from marginalized communities, to design a just system.
3. Promote gender-sensitive training and monitoring in criminal law procedures to ensure staff handle cases with a trauma-informed approach.
4. Increase public sharing of data and stories to better understand the frequency and denial of justice for women.
5. Encourage voters and politicians to prioritize women’s safety by demanding reforms and supporting policies that protect women’s rights.
6. Use successful campaigns like the one for girls’ education as a model to create a national shift in attitudes towards women’s safety and justice.

Question for practice:

Examine the factors contributing to the challenges women in India face when seeking justice for gender-based violence, as highlighted in the article.