Behind Closed Doors: The Persistence of Domestic Violence in Contemporary Indian Society

Abstract

Introduction: Domestic abuse is a significant contributor to the nation's misdemeanor index, with destructive behavior in personal relationships where one person attempts to exert control and influence over another. This can occur in dating, marriage, or conjugal relationships and can lead to physical, psychological, or sexual harm. This work aims to explain the underlying reasons for domestic violence, which include various factors such as individual, relational, community, legal, and governmental elements. These components contribute to domestic abuse and its effects on the victim's emotional and physical well-being in daily life. The report also discusses the different forms of domestic violence, including physical, emotional, mental, sexual, economic, and teasing abuse. Objective: To assess domestic violence and its relation to human rights. Methods: The study was conducted in selected areas of Noida, Uttar Pradesh by two data collectors. A total of 60 women were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The questionnaires were checked for completeness, cleaned manually, and entered into SPSS version 25.0 for further analysis. Descriptive statistics were carried out, and associations between dependent and independent variables were checked. Results: The majority of the women (34 or 56.6%) experienced moderate domestic violence, 16 (26.6%) experienced severe domestic violence, and 10 (16.7%) experienced mild domestic violence. The education status of the women was found to be significantly associated with the level of domestic violence, with a p-value of less than 0.05. Conclusion: Urgent action is required to strengthen efforts to reduce violence and improve the availability of information on domestic abuse cases. These statistics are crucial for effectively combating domestic violence against women in India.