Domestic violence against women workers in selected tea estates of South India

Abstract

Background: Violence against women is an important public health problem, due to its consequences on women health. There is a considerable variation in the prevalence of domestic violence across the states and different settings in India. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to estimate the prevalence of different forms of domestic violence and determine the associated factors among women working in tea estates. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two tea estates in Tamil Nadu. All (266) ever-married women workers aged 15–49 years were included in the study. Data were collected using a pre-designed interview schedule including sociodemography and physical, psychological, and sexual domains of domestic violence. It was developed using the National Family Health Survey 3 interview schedule and the World Health Organization multi-country study on women’s health and life experiences questionnaire version 10. Results: The prevalence of domestic violence was 65%, while specifically psychological, physical, and sexual violence were 63.5%, 44.1%, and 4.1%, respectively. Domestic violence was significantly associated with socioeconomic status, spousal literacy status, age at marriage, and alcohol use (P < 0.05). Any form of violence and psychological violence were twice as common with illiterate (unadjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.4–4.9) (unadjusted OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1–4.9) and a spouse who consumed alcohol (unadjusted OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.6–4.6) (unadjusted OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.5–4.2), respectively. Conclusion: The prevalence of all forms of domestic violence was high among women in the selected two tea estates in South India. Significant association was found with spousal characteristics. This calls for stringent enforcement of laws and educating men toward changing the social attitude toward violence against women.