Domestic Violence in Rural Regions in India

Because of its more open, less populated part, rural areas of India are more prone to domestic violence situations than those in more urban areas. More people live in rural areas or villages than in any other places in India.

Domestic violence, usually with women the victims of men in the household, can affect physical, mental, emotional, sexual, and reproductive health. Most likely, the person will sustain some type of injury, whether physically or via some sort of post traumatic stress or anxiety from the experience. The cruelty of this public health issue needs to be brought to light, especially in regions where education is much more limited and students drop out of school at young ages.

That being said, there are many pivotal social issues in addition to the core subjects of reading, writing, math, science, history, and other topics that schools need to address. Domestic violence needs to be put at the forefront for some amount of the basic learning process in rural India, or the government should make a message about it in order to inform people about what to watch out for and how to deal with domestic violence in their country. Since most victims are those who have less power in the household, making some sort of support groups, teaching those how to report acts of domestic violence, or shedding some light on the topic from the government itself would greatly impact their safety.

Due to a mainly agricultural lifestyle, the societal norms of the caste system and arranged marriages at a young age, and increasing alcohol consumption all add up to a substantial amount of domestic violence cases.

To go into more detail, the caste system and it’s direct social hierarchy over people can lead to domestic violence. Your social class or occupation in India is pivotal to success or can be the source of unequal treatment. If someone is in a higher caste than their spouse, their children, or other members of their family, they almost have power over the others, and can get special treatment for it.

Alcohol in a nutshell is known to make people worse with motor skills/coordination, more confident in their abilities (even though it is quite the opposite), and more easily agitated. With increased consumption, due to any number of outside factors, people are more likely to get enraged at anyone, have a short temper, and commit an act of domestic violence.

Violence against women, or VAW, has been seen as a sensitive subject, but needs to be addressed more for the long-term effects it has on not only the woman but also the family structure as a whole. Intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, and domestic violence can all occur in these places at a heightened rate, and can occur both in and outside of people’s houses, especially in less populated places.

Summing up, domestic violence is a widespread issue most prevalent in the more rural communities and villages. The government, while attempting to stop the issue, needs to directly go to these areas and spread more awareness and support for victims of domestic violence. This is not a problem that will just go away with time, and needs direct attention from the government and other organizations to be addressed. If ignored, the issue could spiral out of control more so than ever, negatively affecting countless families throughout the nation.