Domestic Violence - Are Women Safe Now? A Comparison between Nationwide Surveys of India

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 comprehensively defines domestic violence, which encompasses physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and economic abuse, as well as threats. Domestic violence is a prevalent form of gender-based violence against women. Regardless of the extent, every form of unlawful act is considered a form of abuse. To assess the trend of domestic violence against women over the last 8 years and the factors affecting the changing trends of domestic violence against women. Data were taken from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5) reports. A total of 79,729 women completed the NFHS-4 module, and 72,056 women completed the NFHS-5 module. Data used in this study are based on publicly available secondary data from the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 surveys. The type of population included never-married and ever-married women with respect to their experiences of violence committed by their current and former husbands. A decreasing trend of domestic violence from 31.2% to 29.3% was observed. The number of states with higher percentages of spousal violence and sexual violence among women decreased, and women reporting physical violence declined. Help-seeking behavior remained almost constant across both surveys; women whose husbands often drink have experienced greater violence on comparison. Though domestic Violence remains endemic, structural determinants like education, wealth, urbanization, and alcohol use remain vital for positive change. A multitiered strategy, anchored in health systems and legal reforms, community empowerment, and tailored programming, is essential to effectively reduce domestic violence against women.