STUDY ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Domestic violence against women is a form of discrimination and a violation of human rights. It causes untold misery, cutting short lives and leaving countless women living in pain and fear in every country in the world. It harms families across the generations, impoverishes communities and reinforces other forms of violence throughout societies. Violence against women stops them from fulfilling their potential, restricts economic growth and undermines development. The scope and extent of violence against women are a reflection of the degree and persistence of discrimination that women continue to face. It can only be eliminated, therefore, by addressing discrimination, promoting women‟s equality and empowerment, and ensuring that women‟s human rights are fulfilled. All of humanity would benefit. Domestic violence against women is a vital health problem, that not only robs the state of its most important resources, but also diminishes the over all quality of human life. Women are the mainstay of the society due to the fact that she is the first teacher and preceptor of a child. It is her attitude, belief system, ideologies, values and will power which creates a lasting impression on the child, thus deeply influencing the future activities of the child. The physical and mental health of women has a direct effect on the society. The victimized women are conditioned by society to accept violence silently. There is an urgent need for women to recognize abuse and stand up for themselves. The patriarchal form of society in human civilization and the economic subordination of women also go a long way in making her vulnerable to domestic violence all over the globe. The United Nations defines violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Seventy percent of married Indian women between the ages of fifteen and forty nine were proven victims of ugly incidences like rape, beating, forced or coerced sex (United Nation Population Fund Report) and each incident of domestic violence leads to the loss of seven working days for a woman in a country like India.