Domestic Violence

No mangalsutra, bindi? Judge asks woman why husband would be interested

While mediating a domestic violence case, a Pune judge asked a woman why her husband would be interested in her if she wasn't wearing a mangalsutra and sindoor

Domestic violence survivors may soon get 10-day stay at govt-run centres

The Centre is planning to double the duration for which domestic violence survivors can seek temporary shelter at One-Stop Centres from five to 10 days, Women and Child Development Minister Annapurna Devi said. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday night, Devi said under special circumstances the survivors can stay in such centres for up to 15 days. One Stop Centres (OSC) are intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at the workplace. According to the present legislation, women affected by violence along with their children (girls of all ages and boys up to 8 years of age) can avail themselves of a temporary shelter at the OSC for a maximum period of 5 days. Devi said the Women and Child Development Ministry is planning to increase the number of days for which domestic violence survivors can seek temporary shelter at one stop centres from five to 10 days and the government is finalising .

Bihar to appoint 140 officers for women affected by domestic violence

The Bihar government has decided to appoint 140 full-time 'protection officers' across the state to support women affected by domestic violence more effectively. The Social Welfare Department has decided to create a separate cadre under which sub-division, district and state-level protection officers will be appointed. The decision has been taken in view of the rising number of domestic violence cases in the state. Speaking to PTI, Harjot Kaur Bamhrah, additional chief secretary of the Social Welfare Department and chairman cum MD of Bihar Women and Child Development Corporation, said, "The department has decided to appoint full-time POs to effectively deal with cases of domestic violence." "The process will start soon. A separate cadre will be created for the purpose... More than 140 POs will be appointed across the state. Of them, 101 will be appointed at the sub-division level and 38 at the district level. A state-level PO will also be appointed," she added. The decision has be

Techie suicide case: Bengaluru police summons Atul Subhash's wife

As part of its probe into the suicide of engineer Atul Subhash, the Bengaluru City Police on Friday issued a summons to his wife Nikita Singhania and asked her to appear before it within three days. The 34-year-old techie ended his life on Monday in Bengaluru, alleging harassment at the hands of his estranged wife and her family. A four-member Bengaluru City Police team led by sub-inspector Sanjeet Kumar arrived at Singhania's residence in the Khowa Mandi area in this Uttar Pradesh district around 11 am and pasted the notice for her summons. According to Circle Officer (City) Ayush Srivastava, the Bengaluru City Police notice said, "Nikita Singhania to appear before the investigating officer at Marathahalli police station, Bengaluru, within three days for interrogation regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, Atul Subhash." The notice, addressed solely to Singhania, did not mention other accused family members, including her mother Nisha Singhania, uncle ..

Govt's NRI cell got over 400 complaints of domestic violence, dowry in 2022

The government's NRI cell received over 400 complaints from women in 2022, with key issues ranging from domestic violence, confiscation of passports, desertion to dowry demands and child custody disputes. According to the latest annual report from the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) accessed by PTI, 109 complaints were registered between January and March 2022, while 372 were received from April to December. The report highlighted that the NRI cell, which handles cases related to NRI marriages from women both in India and abroad, saw several serious allegations, including confiscation of passports by in-laws, and women being unable to join their husbands abroad due to the husband's disappearance or unknown whereabouts. "The complexity of NRI marriages often involves significant challenges, including legal and financial aid, child custody issues, and the location of missing spouses," the report stated, urging collaboration across government departments to resolve these

Domestic Violence Act is applicable to every woman: Supreme Court

Irrespective of religious affiliation and/ or social background, the Domestic Violence Act is applicable to every woman to protect then from domestic abuse reiterates the Supreme Court of India

Section 498A, Domestic Violence laws among most abused in India: SC

Section 498A of the IPC and the Domestic Violence Act have often faced criticism for being allegedly misused by women to falsely implicate their husbands and in-laws

Advisory firm against Gautam Singhania's reappointment to Raymond's board

A proxy advisory firm has recommended the shareholders of the leading textile and fabric manufacturer Raymond to vote against the reappointment of Chairman & Managing Director Gautam Singhania on the board of the company. It has called for an independent investigation into the accusations of domestic violence and misappropriation of funds raised by his estranged wife Nawaz Modi by the board of the company. Moreover, it has also called for Gautam Singhania and Nawaz Modi to step off the board of Raymond until divorce-related issues are settled and the results of an independent investigation are received. Besides, the proxy advisory firm IIAS has also recommended Raymond shareholders to vote against the proposed remuneration structure for Singhania claiming that it allows him to be paid in excess of regulatory thresholds. An e-mail sent to Raymond remained unanswered by the time of filing of the story. Raymond is conducting its Annual General Meeting on June 27, in which it has ...

Enough is enough: Australia unites against gender violence, demands action

Protests have swept across Australia in response to a surge in recent instances of violence against women, with demonstrators advocating for the declaration of gender-based violence as a national emer

Australian PM describes domestic violence as a 'national crisis'

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday described domestic violence as a national crisis after thousands rallied around the country against violence toward women. Thousands protested in cities around Australia on Sunday to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women so far this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence in a population of 27 million. Albanese said on Monday the rallies were a call to action for all levels of Australian government to do more to prevent gender-based violence. "Quite clearly, we need to do more. It's not enough to just have empathy, Albanese told Nine Network television. "The fact that... a woman dies every four days on average at the hand of a partner is just a national crisis, he added. There were 17 rallies held across Australia over the weekend, with an estimated 15,000 people demonstrating in the city of Melbourne. Albanese said he will host a meeting or Australian state and territory leaders on Wednesday to discuss a ...

UN points to yawning gap of inequality in sexual, reproductive health

A new study says an African woman is roughly 130 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than a woman in Europe or North America, the UN population fund reported Wednesday as it decried widening inequality in sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide. UNFPA's latest State of World Population report also estimates that nearly 500 maternal deaths occur in countries with humanitarian crises or conflicts, and shows that women of African descent in the Americas are more likely to die giving birth than white women. Sweeping global gains in sexual and reproductive health and rights over the last thirty years are marred by an ugly truth millions of women and girls have not benefited because of who they are or where they were born, the fund said in a statement. UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem said the unintended pregnancy rate has declined by nearly one-fifth since 1990 and the maternal death rate has dropped by more than one-third since ..

Urban Company launches policy to support service partners facing abuse

The company said it would also release a series of videos to raise awareness about domestic violence and abuse, and how its service professionals can report it

Domestic violence cases drop after rise during pandemic years: NCW chief

The number of complaints of domestic violence recorded by the National Commission for Women that increased during the Covid years has witnessed a decline, according to the apex body's Chairperson Rekha Sharma. Responding to a question during a media briefing, Sharma said domestic violence cases increased during the Covid period and claimed that the trend was seen across the world. "In domestic violence, in the two years when it was closed down, it (domestic violence cases) increased but now it has come down. During the Covid period, domestic violence had increased and it was a worldwide trend," she said. According to National Commission for Women (NCW) data, in 2020 -- when the lockdown was imposed -- 5,304 complaints of domestic violence were recorded out of a total 23,722. In 2019, the commission recorded 2,960 complaints of domestic violence out of 19,730. The number of domestic violence complaints was 6,633 out of the total 30,864 cases recorded in 2021. Of the total 30,957 .

Female govt employees may now nominate child for pension before husband

The female employee will be eligible to nominate their children to receive family pension before the spouse if there is a pending divorce, domestic violence or dowry case in any court

'Over 28k complaints of crimes against women received in 2023, 50% from UP'

The National Commission for Women (NCW) registered 28,811 complaints of crime against women last year and about 55 per cent were from Uttar Pradesh. The highest number of complaints were received in the right to dignity category that involves harassment other than domestic violence and it stood at 8,540, according to NCW data. This was followed by 6,274 complaints of domestic violence. Dowry harassment complaints stood at 4,797, molestation complaints at 2,349, police apathy against women complaints at 1,618, and rape and attempt to rape complaints at 1,537, the data showed. There were 805 complaints of sexual harassment, 605 of cyber crime, 472 of stalking and 409 of honour crimes, it stated. Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of complaints at 16,109 followed by Delhi 2,411, Maharashtra at 1,343, according to the data. Bihar recorded 1,312 complaints, Madhya Pradesh 1,165, Haryana 1,115, Rajasthan 1,011, Tamil Nadu 608, West Bengal 569 and Karnataka 501. The number of ...

Meghalaya women's helpline gets over 36,000 calls since launch: Minister

The women's helpline number 181 in Meghalaya has received over 36,000 calls of which the majority were for seeking protection from abuse and violence, state Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh said on Wednesday. The women's helpline number 181 was launched in Meghalaya in February 2022. "We have received 36,362 calls on the number 181 as of date for which 477 cases have been registered, 158 cases are active and 304 are closed," Paul told PTI. He said the response has been not bad considering that in a state where we generally tend to hide things and don't go beyond the four walls of our house, women are making use of the number 181. "The fact that 36,000 calls were made since the service was activated shows that the response has been high," he added. The minister said the state government has decided to integrate the women's helpline 181 and child helpline 1098 to ensure round-the-clock service to attend to distress calls. Social Welfare Director Camelia Doreen Lyngwa said the .

Domestic help abuse case: IndiGo derosters pilot, matter being investigated

Amid a social media uproar over a pilot and her husband being beaten up for allegedly abusing a minor domestic help, IndiGo on Wednesday said it has derostered an employee from duties and the matter is being investigated. Without specifically mentioning about the case, an IndiGo spokesperson said it is aware of a video circulating on social media that allegedly involves an individual employed by the airline. "We are currently investigating the matter. Meanwhile, the employee has been derostered from official duties," the spokesperson said in a statement. A 10-year-old girl working as a domestic help at a couple's house in southwest Delhi's Dwarka was allegedly beaten up by the two on Wednesday, following which a mob manhandled the duo, police said. The accused Kaushik Bagchi (36) and Poornima Bagchi (33) have been arrested for assaulting the minor, they said. According to the police, the woman works as a pilot in a private airline while her husband is deployed as a ground staff

16% elderly women in India suffer physical, psychological abuse: Report

About 16 per cent of elderly women in India have faced abuse, mostly in the form of physical violence followed by disrespect and psychological abuse, a new report published on Wednesday showed. Published by HelpAge India on the eve of UN-recognised World Elder Abuse Awareness Day' on Thursday, the report 'Women & Ageing: Invisible or Empowered?' surveyed 7,911 women in the age group of 60-90 years for one month from May to June. The non-profit organisation selected its respondents from both rural and urban India across 20 states, two UTs and five metro cities, covering various socio-economic categories. The report revealed abuse against older women at a rate of 16 per cent. Of those abused, 50 per cent reported physical violence, making it the top form of abuse. It was followed by 46 per cent being disrespected and 40 per cent facing emotional/psychological abuse. A total of 40 per cent of the surveyed women reported the main perpetrators as their sons, while 31 per cent pointed ..

Nearly 30% of married Indian women face domestic violence, shows data

The bare statistics are always extraordinary and condign punishment a rare sighting for survivors (often silent or silenced) of domestic abuse

Indian courts to hear domestic violence cases if offence happens abroad: HC

A court in India can take cognizance of a case of domestic violence even if the alleged offence takes place in a foreign country, the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has held. The court recently rejected a plea by an Indian man who claimed that a magistrate's court in Nagpur can not act on a complaint of domestic violence filed by his estranged wife because the alleged incidents had taken place in Germany. Justice G A Sanap noted in the ruling that the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (DV Act) was a "social beneficial legislation", and it does not matter where the offence has taken place. The copy of the judgement, passed on March 29, became available on Wednesday. "...though the Domestic Violence Act extends only to the whole of India as provided under section 1 of the DV Act, the domestic violence caused on the foreign soil could also be taken cognizance of," the high court said. In the present case, consequence of trauma, suffering and distress carried by th