Arora,+Kiranjit

Assignment One... What We Can't Imagine, is Someone Else's Reality.

It is not a hot topic on the front page of the morning newspaper, not the conversation around the dinner table, yet it is the cause that risks or even takes the lives of thousands of women everyday; Domestic Violence in India. Domestic Violence has been described by sources as follows: //When one adult in a relationship misuses power to control another and the establishment of fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse// http://www.indianchild.com/domestic_violence_in_india.htm //.// Although this “definition” covers the overall concept of the term, it neglects covering the extent of details and the affects of these acts in the more drastic picture. And, since people tend to isolate themselves they are therefore blinded of these everyday crimes committed across the world. **Every six hours, a young married woman in India is burned, beaten to death, or driven to commit suicide.** http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6086334.stm. These numbers are unimaginable to some, but reality for over seventy percent of married women in India, as often as every three minutes http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6086334.stm (National Crime Records Bureau of India), http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=56501 (United Nation Population Fund Report).
 * The Cause:**

Is there any justification for these actions? It is difficult for most individuals of the Western society to believe any reasons to excuse these criminal acts; this however, is a result of the cultural / educational experiences we encounter to embed the modernized beliefs in human and rights and gender relations. In comparison, experts believe that this particular problem in India is connected to a cultural bias against women who disable their husbands from controlling the wife’s behaviour and being (i.e. cooking a satisfactory meal or providing a dowry that does not meet //his// expectations.) The amount of power in which a man has over his wife supposedly measures the level of superiority and manhood he reserves as a husband http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1591. It is culture that focuses on the importance of roles and of education. The more important question is; does the value of education affect the value of a woman? Perhaps, according to sources at the Centre of Women Development Studies in New Delhi, “educated women are aware of their rights and no longer willing to follow commands //blindly//.” How does this justify anything? There is minimal access to education for women in India, therefore there is a small population of educated females, females who will hesitate to question the power of the husband. What about the male population? Most can assume that the correlation would come out to be the more education attained by the male, the less likelihood of he to commit crimes of Domestic Violence; Wrong! According to researchers, the highest rates of sexual violence were among highly educated men: **Thirty-two percent of men with zero years of education and forty-two percent of men with one to five years of education reported sexual violence. As the education increased to six to ten years, the reported number also raised itself to fifty-seven percent** http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1591. Okay, what about income? Does having money make it easier for women to avoid being beaten, or even killed in their own household? No, in fact, the rates of sexual violence almost doubled among the highest income groups – Sixty-one percent were those of the highest income groups in relation to the lower labour classes had a rate of thirty-five classes. Studies have yet to prove that the mental superiority and education/income levels correlate with the idea that devaluing the existence of the female by physical or emotional abuse (humiliation.)
 * Why?**

Domestic Violence has obvious effects, disease, death tolls, and exploitation of over hundreds of thousands of women in India. But, does the world know how this really affects the women and the consequences faced by their nation and the rest of the world. To begin this topic, we will discuss a worldwide crisis, AIDS. **"Abused women are also at a higher risk of acquiring HIV," the report said adding that it puts burden on the healthcare system as they become long-term users of health services.** http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=56501. Not only does this create additional problems for the healthcare system, but a key concern of jeopardizing the health of both born and unborn children through breastfeeding or genetic transfers of HIV cells. Here, we have covered the risks faced by infants, and mothers-to-be. What about those children conscience of what is happening around them? Witnessing the crimes, violence, and deaths of their mothers or other female relatives can cause mental damage resulting in loss of self confidence due to blaming themselves for the incidents. There is also a high possibility in which the abuse can be directed toward the child or he/she intervene or imitate, which could endanger their lives or the lives of those around them today and in the future.
 * Effects and the Affected:**

We all are familiar with the terms //globalization// and //globalization// – Bringing the world closer together with the use of technology. **Outsourcing** has a strong association with these terms – //Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house// http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid182_gci212731,00.html. Some may wonder what this has to do with domestic violence in India. Being a country with one of the highest populations used for outsourcing from western countries, reports say that violence against women put a huge strain on a nation’s government services along with heavy loss of economic productivity. How? ** " In India, one incident of violence translates into the women losing seven working days. In the United States total loss adds up to 12.6 billion dollars annually and Australia loses 6.3 billion dollars per year."** http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=56501 http://www.indianchild.com/domestic_violence_in_india.htm. These numbers will soon be presented when analyzing the economic crisis in the United States. Will this develop new motives to prevent domestic violence in India? Only time will tell. India’s legal system fails to recognize domestic violence as violation of women’s rights… Until now. The year 2006, according to the Federal Ministry of Women and Child Development, a new law was introduced that punishes **“actual abuse or the threat of abuse whether physical, sexual, emotional, or economic.”** The law is said to provide protection to the wife from violence at the hands of the husband or his relatives, the consequences ranging from jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to 20,000 rupees (the equivalent to $450 U.S.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6086334.stm. Here, we can see that a much needed penalty has begun to be implemented within the Indian system of enforcement, but is it enough? On the other hand, the government is unable to punish those committing the crimes if the victims refuse to seek help or report these incidents to refrain from devaluing the family honour amongst their community, such as the seventy-five percent of women studied. Another population of those abused believed the beating to be justified in certain circumstances, over fifty-six percent to be exact (according to the International Institute for Population Studies). **“Domestic abuse is often denied by the victims themselves.”** This here proves that laws against domestic violence is just the beginning, it needs to be embedded into the culture and its people.
 * Outsourcing:**
 * Newly developed laws:**

One of the most strategic methods that can be taken to approach this issue is social awareness. Women need to be educated, to realize their significance within the country. As mentioned before, according to studies, the worth of these women and their roles in the workplace accumulate to billions of dollars! They need to understand human rights, and equality. Progress! Change! Making a Difference! This is merely the reason for this topic to be chosen. The access and utilization of research technologies such as the Internet have enabled those of the western society to become aware of this issue, and can now take action and open the eyes of others. This a disease, and we need to find a cure! http://www.wethewomen.org/entry/india-domestic-violence-taking-horrendous-shape/ http://www.yawningbread.org/apdx_2006/imp-295.htm Works Cited "Domestic Violence In India." . Foster, Peter. "India Outlaws Wife-beating and Marital Rape." __Indian Express__. 27 Oct. 2006. Indian Express. . "India: Domestic Violence Taking Horrendous Shape." 5 Dec. 2006. We the Women. . "India Tackles Domestic Violence." __BBC News__. 26 Oct. 2006. BBC. . Khosha, Aasha. "India's Domestic Violence Law." __Indian Express__. Nov. 2006. Indian Express. . Majumdar, Swapna. "In India Domestic Violences Rises with Education." __Women's eNews__. 6 Nov. 2003. . "Two-third married Indian women victims of domestic violence: UN." 13 Oct. 2005. India Express. .
 * Now What?**