e conclave on VAWG

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) dates back to the history of mankind. Several forms of abuse have been described in our ancient epics, like Mahabharat and Ramayana. The United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Elimination of VAW (1993) states that “VAW is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that VAW is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.

Overall 35% of women worldwide experience either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner sexual violence. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005 recognizes four types of VAW in domestic relationships: Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or verbal abuse, and economic violence and the same are also applicable for VAW in other settings. Once victimized the chances of revictimization are higher and leads to depression, suicidal tendencies, mental and physical illness.

The important causes of violence are: Sociodemographic, family factors, psychiatric morbidity, sociocultural traditions, media, pornography, addiction, psychosocial stress, deterioration of ethical values, inefficient law enforcement machinery.