‘Gender violence drops, but prevalence remains high in bigger states: NFHS-5’

Gender-based violence across most Indian states declined in the past half-a-decade, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS). However, the prevalence remains high in bigger states.

• Factsheets for the 22 states surveyed in the first round of NFHS-5 were recently released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• The factsheets analyzed domestic violence under three categories: Married women between 18 and 49 years who have ever experienced:
• Spousal violence (both physical and sexual violence)
• Physical violence during pregnancy
• Young women aged between 18 and 29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18

Key-finding of the Survey

Spousal violence

• Most states experienced a downward trend in the cases of spousal violence. 
  • Prevalent: The trend, however, was still prevalent (at 35 percent) in Telangana, Manipur, Bihar and Karnataka.
  • Maximum rise: Karnataka, Sikkim and Assam saw the maximum rise in spousal violence in the last five years.
  • Significant hike: Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra also reported significant hike in prevalence of spousal violence
  • Unchanged: the figures for Jammu and Kashmir remained unchanged
  • Reduction: Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Meghalaya witnessed a steep reduction in spousal violence
  • Equal prevalence in urban and rural area: Bihar, Kerala and Mizoram reported almost equal prevalence among rural as well as urban areas.

Physical violence during pregnancy

• 17 of the 22 surveyed states / UTs showed a positive decline in cases of physical violence against women during their pregnancy.
  • Highest fall: Telangana reported the highest fall in such cases followed by Bihar, while Andaman saw the maximum overall decline of three per cent since 2015-16.
  • Maximum rise: The maximum rise in cases was led by three north-eastern states of Meghalaya, Sikkim and Assam followed by Maharashtra.
  • Least violence: Nagaland and Kerala continued to witness the least violence, i.e. the prevalence there was less than 0.5 per cent.
  • Highest percentage: However, despite a huge fall, Karnataka and Telangana had the highest percentage of cases at 5.8 and 4 percent respectively.
  • Unchanged: Goa was the only state that saw no change in its figures in the last five years. 

Sexual violence against young women

• The data on young women aged between 18 and 29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18 indicated a mixed trend: As many as nine states and union territories showed a rise in numbers amongst 22 surveyed states.
  • Highest rise: Goa and Maharashtra witnessed the highest rise in cases of 3.3 per cent each.
  • Maximum reduction: Manipur that saw the maximum reduction of 8.6 per cent in the last five years.
  • Unsafe: Karnataka, West Bengal and Bihar were the most unsafe places for girls.
    • High prevalence: Bihar showed a high prevalence of violence despite the alcohol ban imposed in 2015.
  • Least cases: Sexual violence against young women was the least reported in Nagaland, Kerala and Mizoram.
  • Safe rural states: Rural girls were more exposed to violence across a majority of states except Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland. 

What led to increase in violence (sexual, physical, mental)?

The trend can be attributed to

• Poverty
• Unemployment
• low female literacy rate
• lower status of women in the state

Unemployment and illiteracy leads to reduced autonomy and say in family decisions by the female members.