Domestic Violence Against Women in Rural Areas of Jammu District: An Analysis

Abstract

The prevalence of the phenomenon of Domestic Violence is also understood as domestic abuse, abuse between intimate partners, and broadly defined as a system of abusive behaviour shown by either one or both partners in intimate relationships like marriage, family, friends, dating, and cohabitation. The prevalence of Domestic violence against women is not restricted to a particular society or a region rather it is a universal problem that is seen cutting across all, social, cultural, educational, economic, religious, and ethnic boundaries across the globe. The data show that number of victims facing domestic violence is increasing and at a very high rate, affecting people, particularly women and children, families, and society at large. Thus, it necessitates the intervention of the government at the centre and state level, civil society, and legal instruments. The significance of studying the phenomenon of domestic violence becomes more pertinent as its consequences have a devastating effect not only on the life of individuals especially women and children but also lead to various forms of abuse. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 was enacted by the Parliament of India to protect women from the violence that takes place behind closed doors in the domestic domain. This Act was implemented in J&K in 2010. The present paper attempts to understand and explain the multifaceted problem of Domestic Violence against women in the Jammu district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) state (now UT) with the main focus on the important causes and consequences of domestic violence. The analysis of the problem of domestic violence against women in the rural areas of the Jammu district is derived through the conducted case studies.KeywordsDomestic violenceIntimate partner violence (IPV)Spousal abusePhysical abuseDomestic Violence Act2005