Why do we need “Domestic Violence Awareness Month”?
Trigger warning: Violence, Sexual abuse, Domestic abuse
- Domestic violence affects over 25% of partnered women worldwide and 32% in India, mainly as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
- IPV has severe health impacts, from injuries and anxiety to financial and emotional trauma.
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month aims to break taboos and offer safe support spaces, helping survivors overcome trauma and seek help.
- Awareness campaigns give survivors a voice and highlight available resources, making support more accessible.
Domestic Violence (DV) or Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) has been an epidemic plaguing our society since time immemorial. As per the most recent estimates, globally over a quarter of all ever-partnered women of reproductive age have experienced physical or sexual or both forms of IPV, which averages around 35% in South Asia. In India, 32% of ever-married women reported having experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their husbands in their lifetime.
The most common type of spousal violence, in India, is physical (28%), followed by emotional (14%), and sexual (6%). While a recent pan-India survey reported a drop, from 31% to 29% (in 5 years) in physical and sexual violence combined, nonetheless, the magnitude is still unacceptably high.
So why do we observe an entire month as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month”? Will such observance bear fruits, or are they in danger of being just another social media trend?
What is Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence?
Intimate partner violence, especially against women, is a grave human rights violation and a serious global public health concern. This violence refers to physically, sexually, and psychologically harmful behaviours in the context of marriage, cohabitation, or any other form of union, as well as emotional and economic abuse and controlling behaviours.
Intimate partner violence can have major short-term and long-term physical and mental health effects, including injuries, depression, anxiety, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections among others, and can also lead to death.
IPV can take on many forms, including:
- Financial abuse: spouse withholding monetary access
- Emotional abuse: degrading and abusive language such as criticising, gaslighting, shouting etc.
- Physical abuse: violent physical acts, aggression
- Sexual abuse: sexually violent acts such as rape, molestation, coercion etc.
Why do we need a month for Domestic Violence Awareness?
One of the key challenges many survivors of abuse face is talking about it. Because of the trauma, many people find it challenging to reach out for support or help. It can take up to seven attempts before survivors can finally leave their abusers.
Breaking taboos and shame around domestic violence, as an individual and as a society, is extremely important. Strong support spaces and non-judgemental, compassionate help have been proven to help survivors heal and come out safely out of this awful ordeal. Believing the survivors, breaking the generational trauma cycle, seeking out legal and medical resources- the list goes on.
In India, recent news about sexual violence cases has shaken everyone to the core. So it becomes even more crucial to tell: help is always there. Survivors aren’t alone in their journey. Every bit counts.
While ongoing efforts are necessary, a month-long campaign on this shines the spotlight, making it less daunting and easier to deal with.
Shame loves to hide in shadows, and dies when hung out in the open and light.
CONCLUSION
While October might be coming to an end, the fight against Domestic violence and Intimate partner violence will continue. Media campaigns on Instagram, X and other platforms give the survivors a platform for awareness and provide them with a beacon of hope. Breaking the silence around this and making resources more accessible to everyone moving forward is key to combat this.
If you or your loved one is facing any issues, reach out to the helplines/resources here:
Women’s Helpline No. (India): 181
Online support via Whatsapp Chatbox: https://daftee.org/
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