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Mumbai: A four-year study of around 4,000 women from slums in Wadala and Kurla has shown that instances of domestic violence dipped significantly after interventions by people within the local community.
“We also found that community-led interventions more than doubled the likelihood of a woman disclosing that she was suffering violence,” said Dr Nayreen Daruwalla from NGO SNEHA, which conducted the intervention.
The study’s significance stems from the fact that almost a third of married women in India suffer from domestic violence. The National Family Health Survey-5, conducted from 2019 to 2021, shows that 32% of married women in India reported experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or former husband. Gender-based violence is considered a public health problem because studies have shown that 50% of women who experience violence face some health consequence.
“We wanted to find solutions that will have a long-lasting impact in the community. So, we formed 72 women’s groups, 25 men’s groups, and 24 youth groups in these neighbourhoods, and over 2,000 women attended each group,” she said. These interventions over past four years meant that 84% of survivors of violence who met with a case worker said it reduced after six months, she added.
The study found that the most common form of violence was emotional (93%), followed by physical violence (80%). The women said that perpetrators of violence were not only their intimate partner but even other members of the family. The study also found that though the women participated in counselling victims and their families, their activism did not appear to reflect any attitudinal change. For instance, 79% of 539 group members and ‘sanginis’ interviewed after intervention said domestic violence is a private matter of the family. Almost a third felt the violent person could be excused if they regretted the act, while 25% said a person affected by alcohol should be excused. “Around 42% felt it was a woman’s duty to stay in a violent relationship to keep the family together,” says the study. SNEHA now plans to implement similar interventions across all urban informal settlements in Mumbai. TNN
Mumbai: A four-year study of around 4,000 women from slums in Wadala and Kurla has shown that instances of domestic violence dipped significantly after interventions by people within the local community.
“We also found that community-led interventions more than doubled the likelihood of a woman disclosing that she was suffering violence,” said Dr Nayreen Daruwalla from NGO SNEHA, which conducted the intervention.
The study’s significance stems from the fact that almost a third of married women in India suffer from domestic violence. The National Family Health Survey-5, conducted from 2019 to 2021, shows that 32% of married women in India reported experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their current or former husband. Gender-based violence is considered a public health problem because studies have shown that 50% of women who experience violence face some health consequence.
“We wanted to find solutions that will have a long-lasting impact in the community. So, we formed 72 women’s groups, 25 men’s groups, and 24 youth groups in these neighbourhoods, and over 2,000 women attended each group,” she said. These interventions over past four years meant that 84% of survivors of violence who met with a case worker said it reduced after six months, she added.
The study found that the most common form of violence was emotional (93%), followed by physical violence (80%). The women said that perpetrators of violence were not only their intimate partner but even other members of the family. The study also found that though the women participated in counselling victims and their families, their activism did not appear to reflect any attitudinal change. For instance, 79% of 539 group members and ‘sanginis’ interviewed after intervention said domestic violence is a private matter of the family. Almost a third felt the violent person could be excused if they regretted the act, while 25% said a person affected by alcohol should be excused. “Around 42% felt it was a woman’s duty to stay in a violent relationship to keep the family together,” says the study. SNEHA now plans to implement similar interventions across all urban informal settlements in Mumbai. TNN
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