Providing Support to Survivors of

Domestic Violence
"Violence afainst women is perhaps the most shameful human ri!hts violation. And it is
perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of feOfraphy. culture or wealth. As long
as it continues, we cannot claim to be making real progress towards equality, development and
peace." Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Dr. Vibhuti Patel
per National Family Health Survey (ITT). in
2006-07 over 55% of Indian women
xperienced spousal abuse in India. Domestic
violence should be conceived as a form of torture. They
aver that though torture with cases of disappearance
and murder, is widely recognized as a core violation of
human rights, that inequality on the basis of sex is widely
condemned, why is torture on the basis of sex in the
form of rape, domestic battering and pornography not
seen as a violation of human rights?
The Constitution of India guarantees the following
Fundamental Rights that guide us to challenge domestic
violence:
Article 14- equal rights and opportunities for men and
women in the political, economic and social sphere
Article 15- prohibition of discrimination on the grounds
of sex, religion, caste etc.
Article 1.(3)- empowers the State to take affirmative
measures for women
Article /6- provides for equality of opportunities in the
matter of public appointments
What are the signs of domestic violence?
Destructive criticis1
,
n and verbal abuse: shouting/
mocking/ accusi ng/name-ca !ling/Verbal threatening.
Pressure tactics: sulking,
threatening to withhold money,
disconnecting the telephone, taking
the car away, committing suicide,
taking the children away, reporting
you to welfare agencies unless you
comply with his demands regarding
bringing up the children. lying to
your friends and family about you.
telling you that you have no choice
in any decisions.
Health Action June 2014
Disrespect: persistently putting you down in front of
other people, not listening or responding when you
talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money
from your purse without asking, refusing to help with
childcare or housework.
Breaking trust: lying to you, withholding information
from you, being jealous, having other relationships,
breaking promises and shared agreements.
Isolation: monitoring or blocking your telephone calls,
telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing
you from seeing friends and relatives.
Harassment: following you, checking on you. opening
your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has
telephoned to you, embarrassing you in public etc.
Threats: making angry gestures, using physical size
to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your
possessions, breaking things. punching walls. wielding
a knife or a gun. threatening to kill or harm you and
the children.
Sexual violence: using force. threats or intimidation
to make you perform sexual acts, having sex with
you when you don't want to have sex. any degrading
treatment based on your sexual orientation.
Physical violence: punching, slapping, hitting, biting,
pinching, kicking, pulling hair out,
pushing, shoving, buing, strangling
etc.
Denial: saying the abuse
doesn't happen, saying you caused
the abusive behaviour, being
publicly gentle and patient, crying
and begging for forgiveness, saying
it will never happen again.
A tier 40 years of campaigning by
score's of women's rights organizations, Indian women
20
Suppor groups towo1 surivors of dometic violence
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Health Action June 2014
I
21
managed to gel Protection of' Women from Domestic
Violence Act, 2005 which defines "Domestic
Violence" as
: harms or injures or endangers the health, safe!}
life, limb or well-being, whether mental or
physical, of' the aggrieved person or tends to do
so and includes causing physical abuse, sexual
abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic
abuse; or
! harasses. harms, injures or endangers the
atnvieved person with a view to coerce her or
any other person related to her to meet any
unlawful demand for any dowr or other property
or valuable security; or
: has the efect of threatening the aggrieved person
or any person related to her hy any conduct
mentioned in clause (a) or clause (h); or(d)
otherwise injures or causes harm, whether
physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.
The Act recognizes the right to residence for survivor
of domestic violence and ensures provision for the
appointment of Protection Officers and the recognition
of Service Providers, trainings for Protection Officers
and Judges and awareness creation.
Historical background
In 1983, domestic violence was recognised as a
specific criminal offence by the introduction of section
498-A in the Indian Penal Code. This section deals with
cruelty by a husband or his family towards a married
woman. Four types of cruelty are dealt with by this
law:
Conduct that is likely to drive a woman to suicide
Conduct which is likely to cause grave injury to the
life, limb or health of the woman
Hamssment with the purpose of forcing the woman
or her relatives to give some property, or
Harassment because the woman or her relatives are
unable to yield to demands for more money or does
not give some property
.
What are the forms of "cruelty"
recognized by the Courts?
Persistent denial of food,
Insisting on perverse sexual conduct,
Constantly locking a woman out of the house,
Denying the woman access to children, thereby
causing mental torture,
Physical violence,
Taunting, demoralising and putting down the woman
with the intention of causing mental torture,
Confining the woman at home and not allowing her
Health Action June 2014
Threats: making angry gestures, using
physical size to intimidate, shouting you
down, destroying your possessions,
breaking things, punching walls,
wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to
kill or harm you and the children.
normal social intercourse,
Abusing children in their mother's presence with the
intention of causing her mental torture,
Denying the paternity of the children with the
intention of inflicting mental pain upon the mother.
and
Threatening divorce unless dowry is given.
DILAASA- Crisis Centre for treatment and
counselling of women victims of violence
in a public hospital
With the aim to sensitize the public health system to
gender and violence issues, CEHAT and the Public
Health Department of the Brihanmurnbai Municipal
Corporation have established Dilaasa at K B Bhabha
Hospital. Bandra West, Mumbai. 'Dilaasa' means
Reassurance and it seeks to provide social and
psychological support to women survivors of domestic
violence.
This Centre has been set up in a peripheral public
hospital in collaboration with Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC). CEHAT will continue to provide
support in terms of counselling and allied services to
survivors of domestic violence for the next 3 years.
The crisis centre model is being replicated in two other
hospitals in Mumbai and one district hospital.
There is a need for affirmative action to protect girls,
young and elderly women from domestic violence and
establish human rights for women. The most important
tasks in this direction are to improve women's economic
capacities, strengthen and expand training and
sensitization programmes, replicate Dilaasa model of
one stop crisis centre housed in the public hospital to
facilitate collective intervention of medical staff, police
and NGO throughout the country, effectively use of the
media to build public Awareness, design programmes
for the barterers and address domestic violence through
education.
(Director Centrej()r Study t/" Social Exclusion & Inclusive
Policy, & Pn[" essor and Head, Department of Enmomics,
SNDT Women ' Univenity, Smt. Nathibai Thakenev Road.
Churchgale. Mumhai-400020 MohifeJJ32 104004N
Email: vihhuti.np@wail.com)
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