For centuries women have been facing various issues and trying to get a hold of things around them so as to make their life easy. These problems may include lack of education opportunity, equality, personal identity, domestic violence, free will and much more. But the most common issue that a woman faces is Domestic Violence.
Domestic Violence is an aggressive or violent behaviour, deliberate intimidation, physical assault, sexual assault and/or battery within the home, involving the abuse of a spouse or partner. It is a way of showing power and control over the partner or spouse.
It mainly includes sexual, physical, psychological violence, and emotional abuse. The severity and the recurrence of the violence may vary, but the constant element of the domestic violence is consistency in the maintenance of power and control over the other person i.e. the controlling behaviour.
It is a very common practice in almost every community regardless of the gender, race, age, economic status, religion, sexual orientation or nationality. It often goes with emotionally abusive and controlling behaviour. It can often result in psychological trauma, physical injury, and in critical cases, even death.
To protect women from such an outbreak of violence the government of India has laid down some rules. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, states that any woman who alleges to have been subjected to the act of violence and has been in a domestic relationship with the other person (assailant.)
As per the Act, any action will be considered as domestic violence:
- that causes harm, injury or endangers the safety, life, health or well-being of the aggrieved person whether mentally or physically or tend to do so. It can be sexual, physical, economic, emotional, and verbal abuse
- that causes harm, injury or endangers the aggrieved person to coerce her or another person related to her to fulfil any unlawful demand for any property, dowry or marketable security
- that can cause a life-threatening effect on the aggrieved person, or anyone related to her
Types of Abuse under the Act
Physical Abuse:
Any action that can cause bodily harm, pain, or danger to life, health or impair the development or health of the aggrieved person is physical abuse. It includes criminal force and intimidation, or assault.
Sexual Abuse:
Any conduct of sexual nature that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or violates the dignity of a woman is considered as sexual abuse.
Verbal and Emotional Abuse:
The repeated threats to cause pain to any individual in whom the aggrieved person is interested or insults, humiliation, ridicule, name calling especially for having a male child or any child is considered as Verbal and Emotional Abuse.
Economic Abuse:
- Depriving the aggrieved person from all or any financial resource which the person is entitles to receive under any law or custom whether under court’s order or otherwise like stridhan or joint or separate property
- The disposal of assets or household things whether movable or immovable in which the aggrieved person is interested, or entitled to use due to the domestic relationship or is required by her
- The restriction on the access of the resources or the facilities that the aggrieved person is entitled to use or enjoy by way of domestic relationship
The above actions are considered as Economic Abuse.
Every lady has the right to live her life as per her own terms therefore, she should be aware of all the laws laid down to protect her as well as her interest she doesn’t have to be the victim of Domestic Violence.