Assessing the Extent of Domestic Violence against Indian Women after the Implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of India, 2005

This paper aims to dissect and analyze the trends of domestic violence against women in India. It will explore the factors contributing to the risk and prevalence of violence against women following the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of India in 2005. This study also assesses the magnitude of violence that makes women vulnerable. In addressing the above-mentioned objective, this study has used data from the National Family and Health Survey collected in 2005-06 and 2015-16. In the first stage of analysis, the magnitude of violence was estimated using socio-economic and demographic measures. In the second stage, the risk of violence on women was assessed by using the logistic regression model. The study reveals that physical violence has declined, but sexual and emotional violence has been on the rise since the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act of India in 2005. It has been observed that though the Indian patriarchal structure gives scope and room for domestic violence, it has moved from physical to sexual or verbal abuse and emotional trauma. Further, the key contributions of this study are to underpin the shifting of violence (physical to sexual) in India and to understand the dynamics of violence under the umbrella of the Domestic Violence Act of India, 2005 framework