Domestic Violence- A Thorough Study
Abstract
Domestic violence is the bane that has been plaguing societies all over the world since time immemorable. Various researchers all over the world have been closely studying this very act of violence and have come up with notions that entail the various causes as well as the disturbing after-effects of domestic violence. This study is an attempt to dig deeper into the concept of domestic violence and its effects. The study includes the interpretation of the Indian scenario when it comes to the rising cases of domestic violence. It is a fact that the plague of domestic violence persists among all the classes of society, from rags to riches. Women from almost all parts of the country face it. This study undertakes the interpretation of the causes of domestic violence and the factors that trigger them. The consequences that the violence inflicts on the mental, as well as physical health of the victims, are also discovered further in the study. The obvious victims of domestic violence i.e., women, are often been a part of the discussion for ages. But the other consequential victims are not so talked about. These victims involve children in the house who witness episodes of violence in their own house undergone or inflicted by their immediate elders. The witnessing of such violence has grave repercussions on the mental as well as physical health of the minors. The paper is an attempt to study various factors associated with domestic violence as mentioned above.
Introduction
The term ‘Domestic Violence’ refers to any kind of an act which is abusive and which is done against the spouse, children, or any other member co-habiting in the house. The paper specifically deals with the domestic violence faced by women[1]. The experts closely interpreting the aspect of domestic violence observed that this very act continues in three stages. [2]At first, verbal abuse comes into play. The person hurls ridiculous threats and abuses, profane comments to injure the sufferer mentally. In the next stage, the abuser bursts into anger or a fit of rage due to any kind of infringement of any sort by the [3]sufferer. This very fit of rage is channeled into an urge of inflicting physical violence to release the frustration. In the final stage, the abuser regains his composed state of consciousness and seeks forgiveness assuring that no further harm would be inflicted upon the victim. After the same, the abuser’s mental state of composure wears out and the vicious cycle triggers again. Taking a glance at the present situation in the country, a nationwide lockdown has been announced due to the pandemic and everyone has been in some of the other kinds of restraining and forced to stay indoors. This has affected the mental state of the individuals resulting in the rise of levels of frustration. The National Commission for Women has recorded rising cases of domestic violence during this period. As discussed earlier, the frustration has channeled in the form of aggression causing bodily injuries. The well- established ideology of demeaning the social status of a female and comparing them as inferior to their male counterparts in terms of physical, mental and the most important i.e., sexual parameters has been a routine. It is astonishing that in a country where pollution is treated as a menace and purity is considered far more important, these social goons like early marriages prevail and are very common which restrain the very freedom of females. In India, the very aspect of sexuality of a female is in a way controlled and dominated and its transferral from her family to her husband is considered as an utmost priority. The very act of domestic violence not only inflicts physical injury upon the victims but mental injury too. This can cause a severe psychological impact on the minds of the sufferers leading to emotional trauma or depression. Researchers all over the world have concluded that women find it immensely difficult to recover from their mental injuries rather than the physical ones. The physical abuse involving a sexual assault majorly to chronic mental health problems in the victims. It is an undermined fact that when it comes to domestic violence, there are victims other than the ones facing it. The most vulnerable victims who fall prey to mental health problems belong to the category of minors i.e., children[4]. Though the children may not be the eye-witnesses of the violence, it puts them in the state of ‘hidden victims’[5].
This paper would shed light on the aspect of the effect of domestic on the minors within the house and would measure the latent psychological impact on their minds.
Aims and Objectives
The following objectives would be researched upon in the paper:
· The Interpretation of the scenario of domestic violence in the Indian context.
· Understanding the causes of domestic violence.
· Impact of domestic violence on the victims.
· Impact of domestic violence on children.
READ MORE
[1] Domestic Violence, https://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Domestic+Violence. [2] Malavika Karlekar, Domestic Violence, Economic and Political Weekly, 1741, 1714 (1998). [3] Violence against Women in India- The Crimes and their Causes, (8 March, 2017), https://www.restlessstories.com/poverties/violence-against-women-in-india. [4] Bonnie E. Carlson; Alissa Pollitz Worden; Michelle van Ryn; Ronet Bachman, Violence Against Women: Synthesis of Research for Practitioners, NCJRS, 17 (2003). [5] Defining and Measuring the Impact of Domestic Violence, (Sept 9, 2002, 7:40 pm), https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/3241_Buzawa_Chp2Final.pdf.
WRITER:
NAME: Varad M. Yeole
COLLEGE: Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad
Comments