This article is written by Ishita Pal pursuing BBA-LLB from JIS University, Kolkata and the article is edited by Khushi Sharma (Trainee Associate, Blog iPleaders).

Introduction

An act of violence may be defined as any physical force used by one person to harm or harm another person. The idea that we live in a civil society is dealt a severe blow by any act of violence committed against anybody. Even while a house is often thought of as a pleasant location, this is not always the case. It is a crime committed in the privacy of one’s own home that profoundly affects the whole family. Women, men, children, and the elderly are all possible victims. Every year, the number of such offenses is steadily rising, while the number of people reporting them remains the same. The eradication of social ills such as domestic violence will take time and effort since it is systemic and long-term.

Various types of domestic violence

1. Abuse in the form of verbal and emotional

Abuse of this form includes calling someone names, making accusations about their character, or threatening them emotionally. From the age of 15, a National Family Health Poll survey found that a third of women had experienced some emotional abuse. Parents’ emotional attacks on their children are the most distressing. Violence in the form of physical or sexual assault is accompanied by emotional distress. A person’s mental well-being may be seriously compromised by physical violence, which can be treated. Migraine, mental retardation (intellectual stability), etc., are all possible side effects of this drug.

2. Abuse of power

First and foremost, when people hear about domestic violence, they picture physical abuse. Physical damage to a partner is included in this definition; such activities may result in serious injuries that need immediate medical attention and may even result in death. Slapping, hitting, and kicking are all included, as are slashing, burning, and other forms of physical violence as well. According to a United Nations brief, one in three women and one in four men have been physically abused by their spouses. In separate research, 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 males came close to death. While the husband’s attack on the lady was physical, the kid was also subjected to mental torment. Domestic violence does not only occur between spouses; it may occur amongst family members as well.

Domestic violence against parents, grandparents and even children has been documented. An elderly lady in Kerala, India, was caught on camera assaulting her elderly mother and her 90-year-old grandmother daily, leaving them with bruises all over their bodies. The footage of the incident went viral on social media, prompting authorities to intervene.

3. Abuse of sex

Sexual assault, rape, and other forms of sexual violence are all included in this category.

According to research, more than 75% of those who physically abuse their relationships also sexually exploit them. Approximately 27% of girls between the ages of 15 and 49, according to a United Nations study performed across 161 countries in 2018, suffered sexual assault at the hands of an intimate partner.

#MeToo has accelerated the rise in reported occurrences of sexual assault. In Bangalore, a lady who had been sexually exploited for dowry over two decades filed a report of sexual assault. The victims don’t need to be women; even toddlers and the elderly are subjected to sexual assault. A special POSCO court recently fined an elderly couple Rs 1,00,000 and sentenced them to 10 years in jail for sexually abusing a 4-year-old kid. Even though many women falsely accuse men of sexual abuse of tarnishing men’s reputations.

Domestic violence: the facts and the myth

When discussing the causes of domestic violence, it is impossible to single out a single factor. Reasons for this include a variety of factors. Social or behavioural issues, such as over-ownership, are at play here. Domestic violence is also caused by a person’s desire to retain power and control over another person. Because their kids had eaten all the mangoes, a father in Odisha reportedly beat his wife to death because she could not offer him mangoes. The economic difficulty may lead to domestic violence when one or more members cannot satisfy their necessities. A lady in Madhya Pradesh beat her husband to death with her mother because he couldn’t find a job and couldn’t make money. A person’s addiction often causes domestic violence to drugs. When a person is intoxicated, they are unable to control their anger or violent urges.

People’s distrust of one another also causes intimate relationship violence. An example of this kind of thing that may be found here is the case of Naina Sahni, known as the Tandoor Murder14 Case, a particularly horrific one. She and Sushil Kumar, her husband, violently murdered her because he suspected her of having extramarital relationships. Infertility or the desire to have a male kid may lead to unwanted attention for women.

Those who have been a victim of domestic abuse

A wide range of genders and ages are victims of domestic violence, not just those of a certain age. Domestic abuse may affect anybody. There may be wicked motives for this heinous conduct.

1. Women’s issues

To please her spouse, a woman may be subjected to domestic abuse or insults for dowry. Domestic abuse primarily affects women. A wide variety of methods may be used to harass women: verbal abuse, shaming, mocking, and even dowry demands are just a few of the ways they might be abused.

2. Men’s issues

No one is exempt from the effects of domestic abuse, and men are no exception. Domestic violence against men can be caused by various factors, including excessive possessiveness and multiple forms of torture, both mental and physical. Domestic violence against males is an unfortunate reality in today’s cruel world, and it’s important to remember that it’s considered marital violence, as opposed to violence against women. Women and men alike are victims of domestic abuse. More than half of males have been victims of gender-based violence, according to a new study. The main issue with guys is that they don’t convey the violence they are subjected to daily. Until recently, no one cared about a case in which a woman beat her husband to death for arriving home intoxicated since the victim’s gender didn’t fit the feminist narrative. We are all aware of India’s sexist laws and use them to the fullest extent possible. A man from Kolkata, India, recently filed a complaint against his wife, alleging that she had physically beaten him, left burn scars on his body, and subjected him to a great deal of mental anguish.

3. In opposition to youths and children of all ages

The most overlooked crime in the world is domestic violence against children. Parents or other family members may inflict domestic abuse on their children in the guise of punishment. A slap, a savage beating, or a reprimand are all possibilities. Because of the peer pressure of their kid being the greatest at everything, they unintentionally mistreat their children, which negatively influences their lives for the rest of their lives. Many times, society and parents put pressure on youngsters to take extreme measures like running away from home or even committing suicide. About 65 percent of Indian parents have no qualms about spanking their kids. It’s hard to fathom how much worse it must be for children who are victims of domestic abuse and have no one to lean on for support.

4. Against the aging people

In many cases, the perpetrators of domestic abuse against elderly parents are their children or their daughter-in-law. When they become a burden on the family, their offspring regard them like discarded tea bags, which have no other purpose.

A worrying decline in human compassion may be seen later in Madhya Pradesh when the children of an elderly lady who had been evicted from her home after the death of her husband threw a 99-year-old woman out of her home.

The cultural values and traditions of India are well-known around the globe. Domestic abuse against the elderly is humiliating to the whole country.

Is the domestic violence harmful

Violence against a family member may negatively influence everyone in a household, including the victim. The person’s bravery and pride are destroyed by constant mental pain, physical attack, and ill-behaved behavior. When it comes to domestic abuse, it’s hard to escape its entanglements. As a culture, we aren’t particularly fond of responding to domestic abuse.

1. Abused person’s pain

It is the victim of domestic abuse who bears the brunt of its effects the most acutely. People who have been the victims of domestic abuse are at risk of long-term mental damage and perhaps death or suicide. Domestic abuse victims often suffer from depression, humiliation, and rage as a result of their ordeals. Many victims of domestic abuse have been forced to leave their homes to be homeless. They became alcoholics and stressed out as a way to cope with the everyday trauma of domestic abuse.

2. Family’s pain

Violence and the prospect of violence in the home have a devastating effect on every family. It creates a fearful atmosphere that may lead to family breakups and the destruction of family surroundings. Domestic abuse may lead to feelings of insecurity, loss of self-confidence, and a lack of trust in family members.

3. Children’s pain

Children who live with a victim of domestic abuse suffer both physically and emotionally, according to research. Stress, anxiety, sadness, mental discomfort, sleep difficulties, headaches, stomach pains, and other symptoms are possible. Focus is difficult for children to handle. There is nothing else they can do but self-injure, be aggressive toward their friends and schoolmates, feel guilty or blame themselves for the violence. They may have difficulty forming positive relationships. They also develop phobias and insomnia, children living in such an environment struggle with going to school and doing schoolwork. They may engage in bullying behavior themselves or be the victim of it.

Conclusion

Having a domestic violence problem is a blemish on humanity, and it hurts society and the next generation. Various forms of abuse are possible, including bodily harm, psychological harm, rape in the marriage, and economic exploitation. Women, men, children, and senior citizens can all be victims of domestic violence because it has no regard for their gender or age. Domestic violence has a devastating effect on both the victim and the children who see it in their own homes. The Indian government has enacted several regulations to prevent domestic violence, but their execution remains an open question. This crime must be eradicated by society as a whole. The essential weapon against domestic violence is education on domestic violence laws and respect for others. Education is the most pressing issue of our day. Women should have a larger share of seats in the House of Representatives. Victims need to speak up and fight up for their rights.

References

• Smith, L.J., 1989. Domestic violence: an overview of the literature. HM Stationery Office.
• Buzawa, E.S. and Buzawa, C.G., 2003. Domestic violence: The criminal justice response. Sage.
• Johnson, M.P. and Ferraro, K.J., 2000. Research on domestic violence in the 1990s: Making distinctions. Journal of marriage and family, 62(4), pp.948-963.
• Johnson, M.P., 2005. Domestic Violence: It’s Not about Gender: Or Is It?. Journal of Marriage and the Family, pp.1126-1130.
• Roy, M. ed., 1977. Battered women: A psychosociological study of domestic violence. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company.
• Anderson, K.L., 1997. Gender, status, and domestic violence: An integration of feminist and family violence approaches. Journal of Marriage and the Family, pp.655-669.
• Edleson, J.L., 1999. Children’s witnessing of adult domestic violence. Journal of interpersonal Violence, 14(8), pp.839-870.
• Mullender, A., Hague, G., Imam, U.F., Kelly, L., Malos, E. and Regan, L., 2002. Children′ s Perspectives on Domestic Violence. Sage.

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