{"id":54690,"date":"2025-09-20T19:54:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-20T14:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=54690"},"modified":"2025-09-23T14:54:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T09:24:21","slug":"domestic-violence-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-09-2025\/domestic-violence-act","title":{"rendered":"Domestic Violence Act: 20 Years of Power and Protection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/Society; Issues Related To Women<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA)<\/strong> stands as a symbol of empowerment after two decades of enactment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Domestic Violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is defined as <strong>any act, omission, or conduct<\/strong> by a person that <strong>harms or endangers<\/strong> the health, safety, life, limb, or well-being of a woman \u2014 whether physical or mental <strong><em>(Section 3 of the PWDVA)<\/em><\/strong>. It includes:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Physical abuse, verbal &amp; emotional Abuse &amp; economic Abuse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>United Nations (UN),<\/strong> domestic violence is a form of <strong>gender-based violence that occurs within the private sphere<\/strong> \u2014 typically between individuals related by intimacy or blood. It encompasses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Intimate Partner Violence:<\/strong> Physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Child &amp; Elder Abuse<\/strong>: Within the household<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic &amp; Psychological Control: <\/strong>Restricting access to money, isolating from social networks, or using intimidation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Trends and Statistics<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Picture: <\/strong>According to <strong>UN Women<\/strong>, <strong>nearly 1 in 3 women globally<\/strong> have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, most often at the hands of an intimate partner.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 2023 alone, over 51,000 women and girls were killed by family members or partners\u2014an average of 140 deaths per day.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Scenario:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>NCRB Data (Crime in India Report)<\/strong>: 507 cases registered under PWDVA in <strong>2021<\/strong>. 468 cases registered in <strong>2022<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>NFHS-5 (2019\u20132021)<\/strong>: <strong>29.3%<\/strong> of ever-married women aged 18\u201349 years reported spousal violence. It is a reduction from <strong>31.2%<\/strong> in NFHS-4 (2015\u20132016).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Reasons for Domestic Violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Patriarchal Norms &amp; Gender Inequality: <\/strong>Deep-rooted patriarchal traditions view women as subordinate to men.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cultural acceptance of male dominance perpetuates violence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dowry-Related Conflicts: <\/strong>Persistent dowry demands often escalate into harassment and violence.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Linked with economic control and status assertion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Dependence &amp; Poverty: <\/strong>Women\u2019s financial dependence reduces ability to leave abusive relationships.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Poverty and unemployment increase household stress and violence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Legal &amp; Institutional Support: <\/strong>Delayed justice delivery, lack of shelters, and weak enforcement etc discourage reporting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Silence &amp; Social Stigma: <\/strong>Fear of dishonor, family reputation, and victim-blaming silence survivors.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many cases remain unreported, reinforcing the cycle of abuse.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Intergenerational Cycle of Violence: <\/strong>Children witnessing violence normalize abusive behavior in adulthood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Efforts to Combat Domestic Violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>UNiTE Campaign by UN Women<\/strong>: The &#8220;16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence&#8221; is an annual global campaign running from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Spotlight Initiative:<\/strong> It has helped enhance or adopt over 550 laws and policies worldwide to address violence against women.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It has provided essential services to over 3 million women, including education, legal aid, and psychosocial support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More than 95% of institutional mechanisms for domestic and intimate partner violence were established after the adoption of the <strong>Beijing Platform for Action 1995<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Efforts to Address Domestic Violence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005:<\/strong> It was enacted to safeguard the fundamental rights of women under <strong>Articles 14, 15, and 21<\/strong> of the Constitution of India.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It provides a <strong>civil law remedy<\/strong> to protect women from domestic violence and prevent its recurrence in society.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 18:<\/strong> Protection Order in each district to assist Magistrates, report complaints, and facilitate legal remedies such as <strong>protection orders<\/strong> and <strong>residence orders<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 19:<\/strong> Residence Order for residing at Matrimonial House;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 20: <\/strong>Monetary Orders which includes maintenance for herself and her Children;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 21:<\/strong> Temporary Custody of Children;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Section 22:<\/strong> Compensation order for the damages caused to her.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mission Shakti &amp; One Stop Centres (OSCs): <\/strong>These provide integrated support\u2014medical aid, legal assistance, shelter, and counseling\u2014to women in distress across India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>802 centres are functional<\/strong> nationwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assisted <strong>10.80 lakh women<\/strong> till <strong>31st January 2025<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Emergency Response Systems:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>ERSS-112:<\/strong> A nationwide emergency helpline for women, integrated with police dispatch systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Helpline 181:<\/strong> Operational in 35 states\/UTs, handling over 2.10 crore calls and assisting more than 84 lakh women.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Help Desks:<\/strong> <strong>14,658 desks<\/strong> set up across police stations, with <strong>13,743 led by women officers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Helpline (WHL-181)<\/strong> \u2013 Integrated with ERSS in <strong>35 States\/UTs<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Assisted <strong>84.43 lakh women<\/strong> through <strong>2.10 crore+ calls<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>National Dashboard:<\/strong> Developed by C-DAC to track helpline calls and categorize domestic violence cases in real time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stree Manoraksha Project<\/strong>: NIMHANS provides psycho-social counselling training for OSC staff.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Role of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): <\/strong>DBT schemes like Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Ujjwala Yojana, and PM Matru Vandana Yojana provide direct cash transfers, LPG connections, and maternity benefits.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial independence<\/strong> reduces women\u2019s vulnerability to economic abuse \u2014 a common form of domestic violence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Implementation Challenges<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Underreporting: <\/strong>Social stigma and fear of retaliation prevent many women from speaking out.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of dedicated personnel:<\/strong> Many states assign protection officer duties to existing officials, limiting their effectiveness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited awareness: <\/strong>Many women are unaware of their rights under the Act or how to access support services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Education and Awareness:<\/strong> Teaching consent, respect, and gender equality from a young age;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stronger Enforcement:<\/strong> Dedicated protection officers and fast-track courts;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Community Support: <\/strong>Safe shelters, helplines, and survivor networks;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Men as Allies:<\/strong> Engaging boys and men in prevention efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/india-news\/domestic-violence-act-20-years-of-power-and-protection-101758220384727.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: HT<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA) stands as a symbol of empowerment after two decades of enactment.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About Domestic Violence<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is defined as any act, omission, or conduct by a person that harms or endangers the health, safety, life, limb, or well-being of a woman \u2014 whether physical or mental (Section 3 of the PWDVA). It includes:<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Physical abuse, verbal &#038; emotional Abuse &#038; economic Abuse.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/20-09-2025\/domestic-violence-act\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":54693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/domestic-violence-act.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54690"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54727,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54690\/revisions\/54727"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}