| Author(s) | Ghosh, Biswajit, and Tanima Choudhuri |
| Title | Legal protection against domestic violence in India: scope and limitations |
| Source | Journal of Family Violence, 2011, Vol 26,
pp.319-330
|
| Date | 2011 |
| Document type | Journal article |
| Coverage | India |
| Summary | In this article the authors explore the legal measures, and in particular the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 (PWDVA), that have been introduced to reduce domestic violence against women in India. For the study, official statistical data, secondary reports and qualitative research data from the Burdwan district of West Bengal, is examined. A number of objections have been made in India to the Act, including that it favours women and could be misused to harass male relatives. Another objection is that the Act gives legitimacy to the practice of living together and promotes a free sexual culture. Eight case studies are presented to illustrate the implementation of the Act and from these case studies certain themes are identified and analysed, such as the negative role of police and apathy of society. Recommendations are given to revise the law, in order to provide immediate protection to victims and to stop the occurrence of domestic violence. |
| Keywords | Domestic violence; legal rights; support; protection |
| Topic | Domestic violence |