Maharashtra, India's Home to Domestic Violence

Bangalore: Maharashtra has registered the highest number of domestic violence cases in India during 2010-11 time period followed by the southern states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. While physical violence such as beating up under the influence of alcohol to routine slapping and emotional and verbal assaults are the most common domestic violence against women under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), sexual abuse by husbands are found on the increase, reveals a report titled ‘Staying Alive: 5th Monitoring and Evaluation 2012 on PWDVA, by an NGO called Lawyers’ Collective Women’s Right Initiative.

The survey done with in collaboration with the International Centre for Research on Women and UN Women reveals that economic abuse is the most rampant form of violence in Maharashtra while Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka registered highest number of economic and physical abuse.  The state of Maharashtra reported 2,433 cases, Andhra Pradesh came second with 1,174 cases and Karnataka third with 1,013 cases.  Madhya Pradesh and Kerala came in fourth and fifth positions with 882 and 631 cases respectively.

The NGO drew the findings on the analysis of various orders issued by the magistrate and sessions courts for a time span of one year, from April 2010 to March 2011, in 16 states. The comprehensive survey analyzed over 7,500 orders and it was found that married women filed most number of cases followed by divorced women and widows.

The survey reveals that despite the increasing number of women filing complaints relating to sexual abuse, the courts do not seem to have noticed the existence of sexual violence in India in the orders passed by them. While forced sexual intercourse is the most commonly filed sexual abuse in the country, illicit relationships, refusal to have sexual relationship with wife, and forced to watch pornography are some of major forms of sexual abuse.

Being thrown out of matrimonial home which results in dispossession, is the most common economic abuse; however, demanding dowry, denial to maintain wife and children, denial of medical care, causing starvation and confinement are also reported in many India.

However, the report did not have a pleasant take on the budget allocation as it was quite critical on the lack of adequate schemes for the implementation of the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act.