ABSTRACT
Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognized as a prevalent and serious problem for more than 20 years. Violence by adult intimate partners has been defined as aggressive or controlling behavior that ranges from mild to severe, spanning physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. In acknowledging that domestic violence can include husband-to-wife and wife-to-husband aggression, it is generally accepted that women are the targets of spousal violence, particularly of a severe and physically injurious nature (Stets & Straus, 1990). The National Family Health Survey-III (NFHS-III) of India, carried out between 2005 and 2006, found that a significant proportion of married women had been physically or sexually abused by their husbands. The survey indicated that, nationwide, 37.2% of women experienced violence after marriage (NFHS-III, 2006).
