Domestic Violence and Help-Seeking among Women in India: Evidence from NFHS-5

Abstract

Domestic violence against women is a serious social, human rights and public health concern in India. Though nationally representative surveys have provided a wealth of information on violence within intimate relationships, the fact that physical, sexual and emotional abuse continues to be rampant and the fact that survivors are still hesitant to speak about their experiences means that prevalence figures are inadequate for understanding the issue. This study explores the prevalence and forms of domestic violence among women in India and examines patterns of disclosure and help-seeking using secondary evidence from National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5), 2019-21. A descriptive secondary-data research design was followed. The analysis focuses on physical, sexual and emotional violence experienced from husbands and examines the extent to which different forms occur independently and in combination. The results indicate that physical violence is the most commonly experienced form of domestic violence, followed by emotional and sexual violence, with slapping emerging as a significantly prevalent physical act. Nearly one-third of ever-married women experienced some form of physical, sexual and/or emotional violence. At the same time, there is a large gap between the experience of violence and the decision to seek assistance. Most women who experienced physical or sexual violence did not disclose their experiences to anyone whereas only a minority sought help. Urban women showed somewhat higher levels of disclosure and help-seeking compared to rural women. The findings show that domestic violence needs to be addressed using an integrated approach comprising prevention, women's empowerment, community awareness, health-system response, legal assistance, counselling and accessible referral support. The study adds to the existing literature by linking the prevalence of different forms of Domestic violence to the less explored but equally important issue of survivors' disclosure and help-seeking.