-Gauri Kapil Katiyan 

Domestic violence in India includes any form of violence suffered by a person from a biological relative, but typically is the violence suffered by a woman by male members of her family or relatives.According to a National Family and Health Survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for sexual violence among women aged 15–49.A 2014 study in The Lancet reports that although the reported sexual violence rate in India is among the lowest in the world, the large population of India means that the violence affects 27.5 million women over their lifetimes.However, a survey carried out by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as the most dangerous country in the world for women. The 2012 National Crime Records Bureau report of India states a reported crime rate of 46 per 100,000, rape rate of 2 per 100,000, dowry homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 and the rate of domestic cruelty by husband or his relatives as 5.9 per 100,000.These reported rates are significantly smaller than the reported intimate partner domestic violence rates in many countries, such as the United States (590 per 100,000) and reported homicide (6.2 per 100,000 globally), crime and rape incidence rates per 100,000 women for most nations tracked by the United Nations. There are several domestic violence laws in India. The earliest law was the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961 which made the act of giving and receiving dowry a crime. In an effort to bolster the 1961 law, two new sections, Section 498A and Section 304B were introduced into the Indian Penal Code in 1983 and 1986. The most recent legislation is the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) 2005. The PWDVA, a civil law, includes physical, emotional, sexual, verbal, and economic abuse as domestic violence. I don’t think the issue of Domestic Violence is new to any of us. What’s new is its increased numbers during this not-so-soon-ending lockdown. The lockdown due to the global pandemic of Novel Corona Virus has made domestic violence an everyday act, a more head alarming issue. Well, this issue doesn’t hold a debate of any kind. The humanity doesn’t permit it, but the laws kind of do as there aren’t any strict actions taken against the wrong doer. The victim has always been told to keep quiet and to make the marriage work, no matter what. Well, the society isn’t going down well with this thought and this is pretty evident. The ever increasing cases of Domestic Violence have made it crystal clear to the women to speak up. I wonder why the parents of a girl child are still not willing to alter their upbringing sessions a bit. Its out there, it’s so wrong. It becomes even more ironic when it happens in a country like ours; treated as a land of goddesses. I wonder how people can’t really realise this hypocritical way of life. The sons need to be taught to respect women. The upbringing plays a major role in such scenarios. There are cases where the other female members of the family find nothing wrong in beating up the lady of the house or as you say the daughter-in-law of the house. And that’s how the future generations are imbibing this culture. Such situations are born from incidents like the famous Boys Locker Room Case and in some cases lead up to cases of abuse and violence against women. It’s high time that we teach our kids to respect all people no matter what gender and other races pertain. Well, as we say, ‘Change is the only constant’, it is time to change and amend our pre existing laws too. They definitely need an amendment. Gone are days when the male gender projected to be prayed as a God. Times have changed now. You need to respect people to be respected. What all do we need to change? Think about it today and put it into action today for a better tomorrow.