Domestic Violence Against Women in India and Implementation of PWDV Act, 2005

Violence against women is gradually increasing worldwide with change of time and increasing space for women in economy, family, society and politics. India is no exception of it. The violence against women and girls is rooted to unequal power relations between men and women due to patriarchal setup of the society. Violence, against women in general is defined as a force, whether overt or covert, used to wrest from a women something that she does not want to give of her own free will and which causes her either physical injury or emotional trauma or both. Thus, rape, kidnapping, wife beating, sexual abuse, eve-teasing, mental harassment, physical torture is all examples of violence against women. The concept of domestic violence attempts to be as broad as possible and includes physical, mental, financial, and sexual abuse inflicted upon a woman by any member of the family directly or indirectly. Against this view point, the national seminar on "Domestic Violence Against Women and Implementation of Prevention of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005" was organized at Jaipur on 28 and 29 July, 2014 by Gurukul Sewa Samiti , Jaipur , under the auspices of Planning Commission, Government of India, New Delhi. The volume is based on the papers submitted in the seminar. The volume highlights on theoretical, policy and legal perspective of domestic violence; implementation of Prevention of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; and impact of domestic violence on women. It is expected that the volume will be of immense importance for policy makers, administrators, development professionals and those who are interested in the field in understanding the dynamics of gender violence and protection of women against violence.