Domestic Violence – Are Women Safe Now? A Comparison between Nationwide Surveys of India

A BSTRACT The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 comprehensively defines domestic violence, which encompasses physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and economic abuse, as well as threats. Domestic violence is a prevalent form of gender-based violence against women. Regardless of the extent, every form of unlawful act is considered a form of abuse. To assess the trend of domestic violence against women over the last 8 years and the factors affecting the changing trends of domestic violence against women. Data were taken from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4 and NFHS-5) reports. A total of 79,729 women completed the NFHS-4 module, and 72,056 women completed the NFHS-5 module. Data used in this study are based on publicly available secondary data from the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 surveys. The type of population included never-married and ever-married women with respect to their experiences of violence committed by their current and former husbands. A decreasing trend of domestic violence from 31.2% to 29.3% was observed. The number of states with higher percentages of spousal violence and sexual violence among women decreased, and women reporting physical violence declined. Help-seeking behavior remained almost constant across both surveys; women whose husbands often drink have experienced greater violence on comparison. Though domestic Violence remains endemic, structural determinants like education, wealth, urbanization, and alcohol use remain vital for positive change. A multitiered strategy, anchored in health systems and legal reforms, community empowerment, and tailored programming, is essential to effectively reduce domestic violence against women.