ABSTRACT
Domestic abuse affects a woman’s health and impedes her meaningful contribution as a citizen. Violence harms families and communities in the long run. It drains the resources and lowers the overall educational attainment, mobility, and innovative potential of the victims. Thus, the longer the issue of domestic violence is dismissed as a private matter, the bigger the damage will be done to the economy. At the global level, domestic violence has been recognized as a human rights issue, and many countries across the world have criminalized it besides enforcing mandatory arrests and providing rehabilitation measures for women and children. However, in India, though domestic violence has been criminalized theoretically, in practice, the law is twisted and molded to cater to the whims of the patriarchy. Family ideology is being imposed while implementing the law instead of applying the constitutional values relating to justice or equality. Heavy reliance placed by the women’s movement on law has not helped. The law is being implemented in the way that re-victimizes the victims.
