THE UNENDING PRACTICE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN DEMOCRATIC INDIA: A CRITICAL STUDY

Abstract

The ill-practice of domestic violence in Indian homes seems to be a never receding phenomenon since ages. According to the latest National Family Health Survey-5 data, one in three married women are subjected to domestic violence. This situation is very serious. Though worldwide, the situation is similar. To contain this menace, the Government of India has passed Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, which envisages that domestic violence includes causing physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse. The present growth of technology, especially in the fields of electronics such as the Internet and the Computers, has further added a new dimension to domestic violence phenomenon. Here, it is pertinent to note that the said Act comes under civil law with an intent to check the recurrence of domestic violence activities in the future. The Act provides protection from the occurrence of domestic violence in the households. In this context, it has to be noted that a sizeable number of women defend this ill-practice of their husbands in the light of past traditions. Thus, apart from the legal, there is another angle of sociological change including that of the mindset of the victims of domestic violence. In any case, the phenomenon of domestic violence is a blot on the face of civil society and clearly, is misogynistic in nature. This paper attempts to explore the condition of women affected by domestic violence in the light of the existing law of the land and also, to suggest the possible solutions of the problem.