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Violence against Women: A Global Human Rights Issue

  • PROF. DR. FAYAZ AHMAD LONE
  • Comments 0
  • 25 Nov 2025

Every year, 25th of November is observed as “International day for the elimination of violence against Women” to draw the attention of people to the alarming escalation of violence against women, revitalize commitments, condemn violence and to promote gender equality, but the situation on the ground continues to remain discouraging.    Violence against women (VAW) has become a universal reality which cuts across cultural, religious, economic and geographic boundaries and continues to be an obstacle in the way of achieving equality, development and peace as promised by the UN through many declarations especially sustainable development goals (SDGs).   Recently on November 12, 2025, while delivering the 30th Justice Sunanda Bhandare Memorial Lecture, Hon’ble CJI  Justice B. R. Gavai remarked, “gender justice could be achieved only through active reimaging of power by men, especially those who occupy positions of authority in our institutions, workplaces, and political systems, and that the path to a gender equal India lies not in confrontation but in collaboration, where men and women together rebuild the moral and institutional architecture of equality envisioned by our constitution”.    A couple of months ago I had an opportunity to read Vivek Shanbag’s book Ghachar Ghochar, translated into English by Srinath Perur, discussing the violence people are capable of inflicting, especially on women. The novel begins with a story about a women who had been turned out of the house in the middle of the night by her mother-in-law. While the woman shivered outside due to cold, her husband and his mother and sister, all slept warm in their blankets.    Hon’ble CJI’s remarks on gender equality, the story portrayed in Shanbag’s novel, and the unending horrible media reports of VAW, together with Holy Quranic verses (81: 8-9) in particular, showing the magnitude of Allah’s wrath towards the perpetrators of merciless daughter killing, prompted me to give vent to my feelings on this burning issue which pertains to half of the world’s population.    The shameful incident of Shahdara, Delhi that happened on 26th of January 2022, when the whole nation was celebrating the 73rdRepublic day with fervour, has left me agitated and restless ever since it happened. A 20-year-old woman in broad day light, getting physically and sexually assaulted, tonsured, publicly shamed and paraded with a blackened face and a garland of shoes around her neck by the members of a family and their relatives, whose teenager had committed suicide due to refusal of sexual favours by the woman.   On the other hand, the remarkable contribution of nearly 100 lady scientists and engineers at ISRO in achieving safe landing of Chandriyaan-3 in 2023 and the vehement and professional pleading of Palestinian genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, by the young South African lady lawyer Adila Hassim in early 2024 and after, while making me to realise that women can do wonders if allowed to live a dignified life in a healthy ecosystem, have inspired me to be part of this challenging campaign aimed at bridging the gender gap for an inclusive and equitable society.   What is VAW? What are its contours, and why it necessitates curb and curse? The United Nations declaration on violence against women, adopted in 1993, defines it as any act of gender-based violence, occurring in private or public life, that results in physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or deprivation of liberty.    While physical aggression comprises slapping, hitting, kicking and beating etc., psychological abuse constitutes, intimidation, verbal or nonverbal communication (hateful gestures) to erode a person’s self-worth, and other controlling behaviours. Sexual abuse includes sexual harassment and intimidation at work, trafficking in women, forced prostitution, violation of the human rights of women in situations of armed conflict, systematic rape, sexual slavery, female infanticide and prenatal sex selection (WHO) etc.   Digital violence against women and girls has emerged as another threat that contributes significantly to fear and frustration among the survivors of such attacks. This year’s 16-day activism campaign of the UN from 25 November to 10 December specifically themed, “Unite to end digital violence against all women and girls” highlights the growing concern over online abuse, harassment, and stalking, recognizing digital safety as essential for gender equality.   VAW is not a menace that has not crept into our society recently. It has been there, in various forms, since time immemorial, occurring in both domestic and public spheres. Women in ancient Rome suffered worst form of domestic abuse even in royal families. Emperor Nero killed his two wives, Poppaea and Octavia, mercilessly, the former during pregnancy. Many ancient writers have described in their accounts the nighty shrieks of helpless women echoing through the streets of Antioch, one of the largest cities in Roman Empire.    Besides Romans, Assyrian and Sumerian civilisations had also been notoriously cruel towards women. They had gender discriminatory laws even while punishing the culprits. The Hammurabi Code, which was written in 1780 BC and made law by the Babylonian King, Hammurabi, who reigned in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) from 1792 to 1750 BC, was also discriminatory.   The laws of Manu of ancient India written around 200 BC stated: “Though destitute of virtue or devoid of good qualities, yet a husband must be constantly worshipped as a god by a faithful wife. If a wife, proud of greatness of her relatives or her own excels to her lord, the king shall cause her to be devoured by dogs at a public place”.   In pre-Islamic Arab society, people of some of the tribes used to bury their infant daughters alive for fear of embarrassment, poverty and destitution. Qais ibn Asim, one of the chiefs of Banu Tamim, is reported to have buried his eight daughters alive by his own hands. A narrative from Qatadah cited by Imam Qurtubi shows that a man from ‘Jahiliya’ killed his daughters and fed his dogs.    In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII and queen of England, was executed on concocted charges. However it is widely accepted by historians today that Anne was killed for being guilty of failing to give birth to a male child. In 1546 in Italy, Isabella Morra, the 25 year old daughter of the baron of Favale, was murdered by her brothers for exchanging poetry with a Spanish nobleman, Sandoval Castro.    Forty years after attaining independence from British rule, an 18 year old girl Roop Kanwar, in Rajasthan, India was burnt alive on the pyre of her deceased husband in huge public spectacle after being hounded by villagers to commit sati in 1987. She was married for just seven months when her husband passed away. The police and civil administration were so complicit in the celebrations that followed this horrific incident, that no genuine efforts were made to collect evidence or fix the responsibility (Manushi Journal, 1987& BBC News),as a result, the court acquitted all the accused due to insufficient evidence.   The fourth World Conference on Women (1995) held in Beijing (Beijing declaration) marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality and Women empowerment. This was followed by “Agenda 2030”, a blueprint for survival with 17 SDGs, adopted in 2015 by all the member countries of the UN.    Gender equality, covered under Goal-5, which is not only fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world, like some other goals, has not been achieved by most of the member countries except Iceland, Finland and Norway who have made remarkable efforts, having closed the gender gap by more than 90%, therefore, occupy the top three ranks (GGG Report 2024).    India has been able to close the gap by 64% only, therefore stands at rank 129. In view of current rate of progress, it is estimated to take nearly one and a half century for women to represent equally in positions of power and leadership in workplaces. At present, women in the labour market occupy only 30% of managerial positions globally.   The data available on UN and WHO websites reveal that more than 30% of women worldwide experience physical, mental or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner. Some groups of women, such as women belonging to minority groups, refugee and destitute, women in detention or in situations of armed conflict, civil wars, and terrorism are more vulnerable to violence.    World will never forget the helpless women of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority, who have been undergoing systematic and severe human rights abuses including gang rape, molestation and nude parading often in front of their families, by the Myanmar military since 2016. In Gaza, Women and adolescent girls who survive relentless bombing, and live in shelters, have been facing tremendous problems which include starvation and lack of basic medical care. The over-crowded shelters are devoid of privacy and hygiene because of lack of access to safe and dignified washrooms, sanitary pads and much more.   Domestic violence, a manifestation of patriarchal mind set and/or mother-in-law syndrome, has taken the shape of epidemic. According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) India recorded over 4.48 lakh crimes against women in 2023 – that is roughly 51 violent incidents every hour. Shockingly, the majority of the crimes against women were categorised as cruelty by the husband and his relatives (32%), followed by kidnapping and abduction (19%).    Cases pertaining to assault on women with intent to outrage modesty touched a figure of 84000, rape 29670, dowry deaths 6156, and abetment to suicide 4825. Dowry deaths alone averaged nearly 18 per day, making it more than a tragedy – it is a social emergency. Yet, awareness seldom translates into sustained outrage. Honour killing of girls is another form of VAW. From 2020 to 2022 Police has registered 76 such cases across India.   As a key agency of criminal justice system, the Police is responsible for performing multi-faceted functions such as the prevention of crime, maintenance of law and order, and conduct of investigation of crimes etc., but if the protector turns into predator, the confidence of common masses gets shattered.    Recently an FIR was registered against an IPS officer, for mentally and physically abusing his doctor wife for more dowry and keeping her under pressure to keep mum on his extra marital relationships (Hindu, 18/10/2025).This was followed by another shameful incident where a young woman doctor in her late twenties, employed at a government hospital in Maharashtra, committed suicide and left behind a note on her palm accusing a police officer of raping her over the past five months (HT 24/10/2025).   VAW is not accidental or spontaneous; it is structural, patterned, and legitimised through custom, silence, and legal delay. Each case is not just a crime but a window into themes that run across India’s social fabric. Dowry is considered as entitlement rather than a gift. Recently in August 2025, Nikki Bhati of Greater Noida, a women in her mid-20s, was dragged by her hair, assaulted and set ablaze after pouring some inflammable liquid by her husband and mother-in-law in front of her six-year-old son. Her father alleges years of harassment and cruelty over dowry: first a Scorpio SUV, then a Royal Enfield bike.    Both were given but perhaps not enough to satiate their greed. The husband of the victim when confronted by the press said shamelessly and remorselessly “husband and wife often fight”, as if setting the wife on fire was a routine matter. The casualness of that remark has shocked everyone more than the violence itself. It revealed the depth of entitlement – violence against women framed not as horror, but as ordinary, almost expected. This is not a relic from a feudal past; it is the worst reflection of patriarchy of the present.  Nikki’s case demonstrates that compliance offers no protection. Women are not abused and/or killed because dowry is denied; they are abused /killed because their very presence in the marital household is conditional, always provisional, and always negotiable. Mothers-in-law taunting and harassing their daughters-in-law, without any sound reason, as a matter of privilege and entitlement.    Routinely, we hear the former harassing the latter by scathing words like, “My son will not wait for a second pronouncing divorce if I ask him to do so”. Very rarely the husband proves a protector, otherwise he abets the crime orchestrated by his mother and/or other households or remains a silent spectator.   Women in spousal relationships may even experience economic abuse in a variety of forms which can have devastating effect on them, directly impacting their mental health. Without access to money, women are unable to buy nappies, baby formula, and sanitary products or pay essential bills and even are unable to plan or even imagine leaving an abusive relationship. Ending economic abuse is a crucial component of the National Action Plan to end Gender based Violence.    More than 95% of domestic violence victims experience economic abuse and it prevents them from moving forward. Working women sometimes face another type of violence in family. They are forced to keep their debit cards with their husbands or invest in husband’s business/ other investment ventures after obtaining heavy bank loans. Those who resist become victims of violence.    Jammu and Kashmir is not immune to such crimes. NCRB data reveal a rising trend in recent years. As per the data, the number of cases registered under crimes against women including rape, kidnapping and domestic violence rose from 3405 in 2020 to 3716 in 2022.    Domestic violence cases, having registered a spike of more than 121 per cent in 2024-25 as compared to previous financial year (GK 30/10/2025) is an alarm of growing crises within walls. A study carried out by a researcher from Kashmir University in 2013 concluded that 48% of his respondents were abused by their partner or by in-laws and shockingly, 66% victims of domestic violence did not register their complaint with any authority.    To recognise the rights of girls and women and to focus attention on the promotion of their empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights we organize programmes at national and international levels on a number of occasions but such programmes hardly get translated into mitigation of their sufferings. Our speakers in such programmes often begin with Allama Iqbal’s “Wujood-e-Zan Se Hai Tasveer-e-Kainaat Mein Rang….”or some Quranic verses like (2:187), “They (your wives) are your garments and you are garments for them” but these couplets or holy verses hardly stir our conscience.    We even quote the Hadith of Prophet Mohammad (SAW) to underscore the importance of upbringing daughters, “He who brings up two daughter with dignity, care and compassion, he will be with me on the day of judgement as close as the two fingers (first and middle) in a hand”;all recipe of a speech, nothing more.    Girls and women are as good human beings as males are with equal or even more potential to contribute in every sphere of life. While adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, healthy, dignified and peaceful life during their critical formative years, they deserve a similar healthy ecosystem as they mature into women. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those living in marginalized communities.    As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations. When provided with suitable environment they shine in every field of life. Marie Curie, daughter of a school teacher in Poland, got two noble prizes, one in Physics and another in Chemistry. In fact she got the second Nobel Prize in chemistry after the death of her husband. The landmark discovery of DNA double helix was possible only after a crucial contribution by Rosalind Franklin. Similarly, Justice Fatima Beevi, first Women judge of Supreme Court of India navigated a traditionally male-dominated profession with grace and determination.    The United States and some other countries have robust acts of VAW that support comprehensive, cost-effective responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking etc. In India, the Domestic Violence Act2005 is a laudable piece of legislation that deals with forms of abuse that were either not addressed earlier, or that were addressed in ways not as broad as done here. However, certain questions still remain unanswered.    While the death penalty awarded to four convicts of 2012 Nirbhaya case of Delhi sparked a ray of hope among the people of India, especially women, and reaffirmed their faith in constitution and the judiciary, the commutation of death penalty to life imprisonment in favour of four convicts involved in brutal rape-cum-murder of 13-year old Tabinda Gani by High Court of J&K in 2024, left us in utter dismay.    A number of women across the world like Malala Yousafzai, Nadia Murad, Rima Sultana, Rowida Al Sabbah are making remarkable efforts to check gender discrimination and violence against women especially in conflict zones, but it is not sufficient. This menace is quite impossible to wane away unless men change their patriarchal, dominating and prerogative mind set at every level. Let everyone of us become an activist, raise our voice and join hands for this noble cause– the undisputed backbone for a sustainable future.    “Achieving gender justice is not the responsibility of women alone. It requires an active reimaging of power by men, especially those who occupy positions of authority in our institutions, workplaces, and political systems”…CJI Justice B. R. Gavai (The Author is Principal (Rtd.) J&K Higher Education Department. Email: falonebotany@gmail.com)

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