NFHS-5: Physical abuse of pregnant women, sexual violence rising in Delhi

The survey also shows that the number of young women (18-29), who have experienced sexual violence by the age of 18, rose from zero in 2015-16 to 1.6% in 2020-21

Instances of physical abuse of pregnant married women and sexual violence on young women are on the rise in the national capital, the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the findings of which was released by the Union health ministry on Wednesday, has revealed.

There was, however, a decline in incidents of spousal violence among married women — it came down from 26.8% in 2015-16 to 22.6% in 2020-21. (Picture for representation only)

According to the findings, physical abuse of pregnant married women, in the 18-49 age group, rose marginally from 3.4% in 2015-16 to 3.6% in 2020-21. The survey also shows that the number of young women (18-29), who have experienced sexual violence by the age of 18, rose from 0.0 (nil) in 2015-16 to 1.6% in 2020-21.

There was, however, a decline in incidents of spousal violence among married women — it came down from 26.8% in 2015-16 to 22.6% in 2020-21. Spousal violence is defined as physical and/or sexual violence.

While experts attributed the increase in physical abuse of pregnant women and sexual violence on young women to the pandemic-induced inequalities and restrictions, they said the decline in instances of spousal violence could be due to a lack of avenues (for reporting such crimes) or the absence of reporting mechanisms.

Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research, said the findings pertaining to the decline in spousal violence did not align with the experience of women rights organisations and NGOs that registered a significant increase in distress calls during the pandemic.

“There is a possibility that there was no support system for women to report (the violence). Women probably did not come out to report even if they were suffering. Almost all organisations, including the National Commission for Women, saw an unprecedented increase in instances of domestic violence. However, it is also possible that there might have been some improvement in the period before the pandemic,” said Kumari.

Jaya Velankar, director, Jagori, a women’s organisation based out of Delhi, said they witnessed an over 70% increase in the number of distress calls during the first lockdown (in March 2020) and incidents of domestic violence did not abate even after the lockdown was lifted.

“Families lost their sources of livelihood. Men lost their jobs. People are still spending time at home due to which women continue to be with their abusers for a prolonged period of time. While structural violence has gone up, there has been an increase in inequality as well with women being deprived of college education,” said Velankar. She also added that pregnant women were most vulnerable and anecdotal evidence showed that incidents of violence against such women were not uncommon.

Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) member Ranjana Prasad said the commission operated helplines through which awareness pertaining to issues of pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children were being taken care of since the pandemic started.

“We receive all kinds of complaints on our helpline — of physical violence or request for relief for pregnant women. We take cognisance of all complaints. The lockdown period was a time of crisis. People lost their jobs and there was stress on the family setup, which might have aided violence. However, whenever any kind of complaint reaches us, we take steps. We also provide mental health support to young women and families through our helpline,” said Prasad.