Published: 19th Dec, 2020
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.
Context
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.
About
- 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.
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