“There’s a Cultural Silence Around Domestic Violence” -

IN CONVERSATION WITH GEETA RAO GUPTA, PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN(ICRW), ON THEIR RECENT RESEARCH ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN INDIA

How did the project come about?

USAID India had developed a strategy whereby they wanted to use some of their resources to focus on issues of relevance to women. They invited us together with some Indian researchers to do a ‘quick conversation’ with NGOs and government representatives in India to find out what issues we should focus on. It was through that exercise that domestic violence came up as a priority issue.

What exactly did the NGOs come up with?

They wanted work done on the issue. They wanted more resources put into effective responses to violence against women. They also expressed a lack of data, a lack of community based surveys done on the issue. There’s a lot of denial and there’s a cultural silence around domestic violence.

What did the survey throw up?

We did this household-based survey in seven sites in India on a sample of 10,000 households. The data established the 40% prevelance of domestic violence.

How high is this when compared to other countries?

It is on the higher side. The recent review of similar population-based research done across the world revealed a range of 10% to 50% prevelence.

What were the findings?

Domestic violence exists across all classes, all religions and all castes. We also found that women who were employed outside the home, who earned an independent income, did not necessarily experience less violence. Third, we discovered that a very important variable was the differentiation between the education and income levels between the husband and the wife. When the wife earned more or was better educated than the husband, the prevelance of violence was greater.

Is there enough work being done by NGOs on issues regarding women?

Oh, India has one of the most sophisticated women’s movements compared to the rest of the world. It has a very rich tradition of non-governmental responses. It has one of the most innovative, creative and highly developed community responses to a whole range of social issues.

You have also done a second survey...

Our second phase of research was focussed on masculinity, trying to understand men’s definitions of themselves and what they considered to be the ideal Indian male, male honour and those kinds of concepts. We also looked at community level responses to resolving conflicts within the home.

What will the ICRW do with these findings?

We’d like to create a momentum for change. And our work for the past five years on this issue has already begun that. We developed media spots on the subject that were aired on three TV channels last month.

What do you hope these spots will achieve?

Just create a dialogue within people’s living rooms and a greater awareness of the issue. Violence within the home is a reflection of society’s acceptance of violence as a mode of solving problems.