Domestic violence: How is India positioned in the SDGs especially after the pandemic

New Delhi: It seems like India is moving backwards when it comes to domestic violence - a crucial target under United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Five states of India have witnessed a significant rise in domestic violence cases in the past few years. And more than 30% women from another set of five states, admit to victimisation by their spouses. Covid-19 has only added to the woes of half the country’s population. A recently released government survey highlights the plight of married women in India. As compared to 2015-16, domestic violence against women has increased in five states including Karnataka, Assam, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-V) was released in December 2020 putting forth the detailed information on domestic violence. It also gives comparative data of 2015-16 when NFHS-IV was conducted.

As per the recent survey, there is a significant increase in domestic violence with married women between 18-49 years of age. Karnataka tops the list of states with the case of domestic violence doubling from 21 per cent to 44 per cent.

There are at least five states where more than 35 percent of married women have faced domestic violence. It includes Karnataka (44%), Bihar (40%), Manipur (40%), and Telangana (37%).

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals give due emphasis on women equality and empowerment as well.  It is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development, says the United Nations Women website. In short, all the SDGs depend on the achievement of Goal 5 which talks about the situation of women in a society.

These SDG goals are supposed to be achieved by 2030. However, India seems to be moving in the wrong direction.

Covid-19 pandemic has only added to the problems of women in this male-dominated society. A research paper published in Wiley Online Library on January 11, 2021 says, "The COVID‐19 pandemic has resulted in a great crisis for the life and living of the entire world populace. Its impact on women, however, has been unprecedented and worse. Home containment, which was seen as the most effective method to protect the health and well‐being of the general public, has led to increased suffering for women."

The research paper analyses the newspapers’ reporting of domestic violence during lockdown and concludes a significant increase during the month of April and May when the government was enforcing lockdown on people of the country.

Leading English dailies The Hindu and The Times of India reported four cases of domestic violence in March which increased to 33 and 22 respectively in the month of April. In May, it was 10 and 18 respectively.

It goes without saying that the majority of domestic violence cases go unreported and do not appear in any newspaper.