Violence at Home? Know your rights

Prior to the landmark law passed in 2005, domestic violence wasn’t really recognised as a serious crime.

Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 changed that and was put in place to legally protect the survivors of domestic violence, and prevent them from continued harm.

If you are facing domestic violence, here are the laws that can protect you.

The law explains "Physical abuse" as any act or conduct which is of such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm or danger to life, limb, or health or impair the health or development of the victim and includes assault, criminal intimidation and criminal force.

Victims could be

Actual abuse or the threat of abuse could be

Hard Facts

The National Crime Records Bureau reveals that a crime against a woman is committed every three minutes, a woman is raped every 29 minutes, a dowry death occurs every 77 minutes, and one case of cruelty committed by either the husband or relative of the victim occurs every nine minutes.

Push the Pin on domestic violence

Statistics of assaults on women are a dark blotch on the face of our democracy. Know your rights. Use the law and protect yourself. Alternatively, push the pin and demand an end to violence against women.