NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Over 70 per cent women in 11 states and one union territory never sought help or told anyone about the violence experienced by them, the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) found.
According to NFHS-5 released on Monday, the proportion of such women who never reported violence against them was over 80 per cent in four states and one union territory — Assam (81.2 per cent), Bihar (81.8 per cent), Manipur (83.9 per cent), Sikkim (80.1 per cent), and Jammu and Kashmir (83.9 per cent).
Tripura (76 per cent), Telangana (71 per cent), West Bengal (76.3 per cent), Maharashtra (76.4 per cent), Goa (75.7 per cent), Gujarat (70.6 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (79.7 per cent) are the other states where more than 70 per cent women never sought help or told anyone about the violence experienced by them.
Less than 10 per cent women sought help to escape from physical violence in eight states — Assam (6.6 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (7.7 per cent), Bihar (8.9 per cent), Goa (9.6 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (9.6 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (7.1 per cent), Manipur (1.2 per cent), and Nagaland (4.8 per cent). The sources of help for those who sought it included their own family, husband’s family, neighbour, police, lawyer and religious leaders.
The types of spousal violence experienced by women were cuts, bruises, aches, eye injuries, broken bones, severe burns, broken teeth, sprains and dislocations, the survey report said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
