Violence Against Women

Violence against women is the most persuasive human rights violation in the world today. Despite all the claims about Kerala's sterling achievements in human development and other indicators of women violence against women has been increasing at a rapid pace. Appalling statistics reveal the practice of increasing violence against women in our society. Though, even the common man is aware of the term ‘violence against women, newspapers and periodicals are rife with data pertaining to the problem yet the phenomenon shows no sign of declining. An explosive situation is fast taking shape in the domestic scene and that calls for urgent intervention by policy planners and administrators.

Violence against women can be identified in 3 areas viz,

• Violence within the family refers to violence occurring within the private sphere of the women’s life. This include marital rape female genital mutilation, dowry related violence, battering etc.
• Violence occurring in the community include sexual violence including lurid comments, staring, stalking and rape at the level of the community, sexual harassment at the workplaces, forced prostitution and trafficking of women.
• Violence perpetrated by the state included verbal or physical abuses in custody, sexual or physical torture and violence such as rape in situations like armed conflict or against vulnerable, marginalized refugees or internally displaced women.

To define domestic violence against women, two areas need to be taken into account – physical violence (violence on the body) and emotional/Psychological violence (Violence on the mind). According to a study conducted by ‘Sakhi’, Thiruvananthapuram based NGO, the most common form of violence against women is physical, followed by psychological harassment, economic neglect and sexual abuse. The study also pointed out that women were subjected to domestic violence regardless of their caste, religion, educational status, social and economic background.

Reports have shown that, Kerala is next to the state of Rajasthan in the matter of atrocities against the womanhood. Official reports revealed that Kerala ranks seventh among Indian states in the matter of gender-based violence and that the state’s women are most prone to suicides on account of harassment.

On the other hand, Domestic violence against women is a significant social problem in Kerala. In a study conducted in Thiruvananthapuram District, “about 64.9% of ever married women report at least one form of psychologically abusive behaviour in their marital life and 35.7% reported experiencing at least one form of violent or physical behaviour”. The study also documents multiple forms and frequency of occurrence of violence. (Panda-2002)

The official statistics (National Crime Records Bureau) states that violence against women in Kerala is increasing. The numerous complaints received by State Women’s Commission and Women’s organizations on domestic violence, sexual violence, dowry deaths, workplace harassments, child sexual abuse etc had provided enough evidence for this escalating scenario.

The cases recorded by the National Crime Records Bureau on atrocities against women had increased from 8087 in 2005 to 9034 in 2006. In the nature of offences the number of complaints on cruelty by husband or relatives (3708) topped in the list. Near to it were the cases registered for molestation (2543) and other offences (1744). However, with regard to ‘Dowry Death’, the other states looks Kerala’s record with envy as only 25 cases were reported in the year 2006. This sharp decline may be due to the outcome of the protest by women's organizations, media, legal amendments, special police cells for women, and heightened awareness among public of dowry demand being a crime. Nonetheless, women in Kerala have empowered so that they can take their decisions about their own life by refusing the dowry system. Above all, researchers too are of the opinion that the dowry system in the state was not as prevalent as 15 or 20 years ago.

District wise data highlighted that Thiruvananthapuram district topped with a total of 1225 complaints followed by Kollam (1139), Malappuram (8850 and Kozhikode (767) respectively. What is more startling was that in all the districts the number of cases on ‘cruelty by husband or relatives’ showed a steep increase compared to other offences.

Atrocities Against Women, Kerala, 2006

Another mind-bogging fact is that our state has one of the highest suicide rates in the country. The reported female suicide rate has increased from 2414 in 2005 to 2437 in 2006 (Economic Review, 2007). Kerala leads in suicide rates in India. Financial problems, incurable diseases and some acute socio-cultural problems are the major causes for suicide. Lack of adequate and effective interpersonal communication is a bye- product of modern life. Most of the victims were found to be lacking timely advice or suggestion from competent persons.

The one most important reason for sharp increase in violence against women could be registration of more complaints. This could be a realistic interpretation since the women in the state feel that there is an efficient platform in the forum of the Kerala Women’s Commission, for example, as seen from Table*, complaints regarding harassment against women received by the Kerala Women’s commission has shoot up from 634 in 2005 to 1600 in 2007, an increase of 60 percent in three years. Of the petitions received in the commission, since 1996 the prime position goes to the ‘harassment of women’ and ‘harassment by husband’.

In this background, Government of Kerala has taken serious step in implementing the provisions of ‘Domestic Violence Act’ 2005 and has appointed the Social Welfare Department as the nodal agency for the same. On the other hand, as violence against women is increasing several theories are also on the board to understand the violence committed by individuals. These theories provide pathological explanation for violent behavior focusing on brain structures chemical imbalances, dietary deficiencies, hormonal factors as well as evolutionary theories and genetic characteristics to explain violent behaviors. This model thus links mental illnesses and other intra individual phenomena such as alcoholism and drug use to violent behavior.

The ever increasing trend of atocities against women in Kerala revealed the fact that societal and cultural norms dictate that she should be subservient to men both at home and in the labor market in spite of high level of education that had fostered new aspirations and attitudes among them. Thus, beneath the veil of development lie some disturbing social, cultural, and economic issues that may be contributing to high rates of suicide and family violence in Kerala. It means high educational attainment alone will not promote gender empowerment unless the social and cultural fabric of a country or state ensures equality of women in all areas of life.