A Study of the Extent, Patterns and Causes of Domestic Violence as Reported by Women Seeking Counseling at Family Counseling Centers in Chandigarh

Domestic violence continues to be a reality for Indian women in the 21st Century. It has been attributed to a range of factors, both old and new, but primarily stemming from the patriarchal social and financial structures, which results in an uneven distribution of power within the family. Victims report an array of triggers: inability to have a male child, unemployment of a woman or her husband, "insufficient" dowry, extramarital relationships, drug addiction, refusal to have sex, adjustment problems in a joint family and so on. The present study is an attempt to analyze the extent, patterns and the factors leading to domestic violence against women who sought help from all the five Family Counseling Centers situated in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The study analyzed the demographic charactenstics of the women;the means and methods adopted by the perpetrators of violence,their relationship with the victim as well as the circumstances leading to such violence;and the specific solutions expected by these women from the FCCs. Out of a total of 315 women visiting FCCs between April 2009 and March, 2010, 169 ( 53.6%) reported experiencing domestic violence in the shape of physical, emotional/psychological, economic, verbal and/or sexual abuse. Most of these women were of low educational background. They were house-wives/ unemployed and thus economically dependent on their husbands or the perpetrators of violence. The study observed that the type of marriage (love/arranged/love-cum-arranged) had no impact on the incidence of domestic violence. The study further observed that the main reasons why these women continued to suffer domestic violence in the order of the importance given to these factors by the women were financial dependence on their husbands or perpetrators of violence,a feeling of guilt and shame, and a hope that the situation would improve. It was also found that a majority of sufferers of domestic violence reported feelings of anger/anxiety/loss of sleep, followed by emotional withdrawal, suicidal/self destruction thoughts/depression and substance abuse. Most of these women approached FCCs for seeking help in getting divorce/separation/maintenance from their husbands, for getting police protection, and for registering criminal cases against their husbands, or in-laws for dowry demand. A large number of them wanted drug-deaddiction help for their husbands.