Cases Of Domestic and Sexual Violence Against Women On The Rise: NHFS Data

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5, released a report this week that highlights the rising instances of domestic and sexual violence against women in the state of Karnataka. According to the survey results by NFHS, married women between the ages of 18 and 49, who have experienced spousal violence has more than doubled from 20.6 per cent in 2014-15 to 44.5 per cent.

The NFHS 5 survey that was conducted in two phases shows a decline in the rise of spousal violence against pregnant women but a rise (10.3 per cent in 2014-15 to 11 per cent) in sexual violence against young women in the age group of 18 to 29. The data indicates a rise in violence against women during the lockdowns that were prevalent due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The survey numbers strongly contrast with the data which was recently released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) that highlighted a decrease in crimes against women in 2020. According to the NCRB report, the drop was especially significant in the state of Karnataka where registered cases of crimes against women reportedly reduced from 13,514 in 2018 to 12,680 in 2020.

The survey by NFHS also shows the rise of issues like obesity in adult males and females. In the Karnataka fact sheet of key indicators, the percentage of overweight women have gone up from 22.3 in 2014-15 to 30.1.