Human Rights Dimensions of Domestic Violence and Children Victims in India: A Social–Legal Approach

Abstract Domestic violence is widely acknowledged as a persistent human rights violation in India, but its impact on children remains inadequately understood within academic literature, social discourse, and legal mechanisms. Children living in violent households are not merely bystanders—they are primary victims whose emotional, social, and psychological worlds are profoundly shaped by the violence that surrounds them. While India has enacted strong statutes such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), the Juvenile Justice Act (2015) and the POCSO Act (2012), the lived realities of child victims reveal deep gaps in implementation, sensitivity, and accessibility. This research paper examines the nature, causes, and consequences of domestic violence against children and analyses the social–legal frameworks meant to protect them. Through a detailed sociological lens and three anonymised case studies from India, it highlights the urgency of recognising children as independent victims. The paper argues for a child-centred, intersectional, and trauma-informed approach within policy and law enforcement systems, as such an approach is essential to ensuring a violence-free childhood in India.