Abstract
India has reported a high prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) against women over the years. Previous Western research has found an increased IPV risk among women in the aftermath of natural disasters, underscoring the need for such studies in India. We could not locate any study focusing on the impact of slow-onset versus rapid-onset disasters, which might have differing impacts on the vulnerable, especially on the incidence of IPV in India. Using data on ever-married women from the National Family Health Survey-4 (2015–16), we investigated the association of residing in districts exposed to a drought (N = 31,045), and separately, to two cyclones (N = 8469), with three forms of self-reported IPV against women (emotional, physical, and sexual). Survey-adjusted logistic regression models showed that exposure to cyclone was positively associated with emotional IPV (AOR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.20, 2.10) after adjusting for sociodemographic covariates. Although not statistically significant, exposure to cyclone was also positively associated with physical and sexual IPV, and drought with physical IPV. However, we did not find an association of drought with emotional and sexual violence. We corroborated previous findings that women from wealthier households, with greater education, and whose husbands had no history of alcohol consumption, were less likely to experience any form of IPV independent of the influence of other factors. These results highlight the potential increased risk of IPV following natural disasters. In patriarchal societies such as India vulnerable to climate-change, these sobering results highlight the need to prepare for the social disasters that might accompany natural disasters.
Highlights
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a gross human rights violation and a major public health concern impacting survivors’ physical and mental well-being
Consistent with our hypotheses, these findings suggest that Indian women may be at the risk of facing Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the aftermath of natural disasters
Women who belonged to wealthier households, women who were educated, and women whose husbands had no history of alcohol consumption, were less likely to experience any form of IPV, corroborating findings from previous Indian studies (33)
Summary
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a gross human rights violation and a major public health concern impacting survivors’ physical and mental well-being. (5–13) There could be several shocks and stressors in the aftermath of natural disasters in the form of loss of life, injury, disease, damage to property, destruction of assets, loss of services, social and economic disruptions; all of which negatively affect people’s physical, mental, and social well-being. They are known to disrupt the everyday lives of the affected community by their impact on access to social networks, transportation, employment opportunities, and household resources; thereby shaking the household environment (14). Phillips et al (20) theorised that the reason for the increased domestic and sexual violence after disasters include threats to the male ‘provider and protector’ role, loss of control, and loss of options in sources of support for women
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
