Violence Against Women In The Family
Women are discriminated against not only on the basis of sex, but on other grounds, such as class, caste ability, sexual orientation, tradition and other factors. It exposes many to a continuous violence throughout the life cycle,commonly referred to as existing “from the womb to the tomb”.The manifestations of violence against women are a reflection of the institutional ans structural inequality that is a reality for most of the women in India.
Violence against women in the family:
Image Source
According to research, the physical, psychological and sexual abuse of women in the private sphere is widely tolerated by the the community and the state. These include husbands, in-laws and other family members. Many victims live in family settings that are rooted in deeply and customary practices that are at times harmful to women. The widespread social and economical dependency of women subordinates them to their husbands and other members of family. The fear of social marginalization and exclusion, and the lack of proper responses to violence, keeps them in a context of continuous intimidation and violence. Violence and killings linked to dowry payments are alarming throughout the country. While through time its practice has evolved, the payment of dowry today is based on the idea that women are a burden.
“Honour crimes”
are usually committed by family members, often with the help of community leaders. Reasons range from a woman’s refusal to be forced for marriage and retaliation for marrying the man of her choice,or refusal to follow prescribed and expected dress codes. Women and girls suffer a wide range of psychological and physical abuse and the denial of basic freedom of expression and movement, thus are sometimes killed in the name of “Honour”.
Research has documented a trend of declining girl-child sex ratio from 962 per 1,000 males in 1981, to 914 in 2011. Socioeconomic factors have reportedly fueled these decline. The desire for sons has led to a scanning of pregnancies by their families through prenatal monitoring systems. The results can lead to abortions of female fetus, which are often forced on women in violation of their sexual and reproductive rights. Despite specific legislation of addressing this problem, continuing prevalence of sex-selection practices in some states continues.
Some of those measures are perceived as the State policing pregnancies broadly and violating women’s reproductive and sexual choices.Marriage is often used by the husband and/or his family to obtain including stringent measures in case of violation.