The Effectiveness of Gender Responsive Budgeting Schemes in curbing domestic violence in southern districts of Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam

Abstract

Women in Kerala, despite performing well in socio-economic indicators such as sex ratio and literacy rate, continue to be dictated by patriarchal norms. Male dominance often manifests as violence, in both domestic and public spheres. Gender-based violence negatively impacts women's wellbeing and consequently, their careers. Alongside the COVID recession, Indian women have been facing a “shadow pandemic of domestic violence”. Kerala, an early adopter of Gender Budgeting in India, releases an annual Gender Budget Statement. This paper examines the effectiveness of State Government policies in tackling this issue, with the research question: ‘To what extent have the Gender Budgeting Schemes, introduced in the Kerala government’s Annual Financial Budget 2021, been effective in reducing the occurrences of gender-based violence in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam in Kerala, for the period 2021-2022?’. Kerala Government’s annual overall gender budget allocations and the percentage allocations toward each scheme have been examined. Data was collected from 44 women occupying the Thiruvananthapuram-Kollam region regarding their socio-economic profile, types of harassment experienced, whether they experience domestic violence, awareness of gender budget schemes, experiences with any of those schemes and effectiveness rating for the schemes.The study found that the schemes created some impact, but not enough to significantly reduce gender-based violence in the state. Schemes with the potential to reduce violence receive minimal funding. The paper recommends that greater financial support be provided to POCSO Courts, Bhumika Counselling Centres, Vanitha Commission and other victim relief measures, in order to provide solid support to women experiencing violence.