44.4% Women Faced Spousal Violence In Karnataka In 2019-20, Double Since 2015-16: NFHS

Nearly a third of women in four southern states, of the total 17 surveyed, had experienced domestic violence, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). Of the four states, as many as 44.4% women Karnataka said they had experienced spousal violence.

The Union Health Ministry released the fifth edition of NFHS on Saturday released.

More than 30 per cent of the cases have been reported from Karnataka, Telangana, Assam and Bihar, with women suffering both physical and sexual violence by their spouses. The survey covered 6.1 lakh households from 17 states and five union territories, including all southern states except Tamil Nadu, The News Minute reported.

Karnataka

More than 44.4 per cent of both rural and urban women surveyed in Karnataka, having experienced spousal violence as per the NFHS-5, whereas 20.6 per cent reported abuse in NFHS-4. Cases of violence doubled in the state.

Of the young women, 11 per cent of them reported that they had experienced sexual violence by the age of 18. The figures were up, compared to the 2015-2016 survey(10.3 per cent).

Nearly 5.8 per cent women in NFHS-5 reported that they had experienced physical violence during their pregnancy, compared to 6.5 per cent of cases reported in NFHS-4.

Of the total 30,455 women surveyed, 88.7 per cent reported having a bank account as against 59.4 per cent in the last survey.

There was an increase in the women participation in decision making of the house, with 82.7 per cent of women, and women owning property has also risen to 61.8 per cent compared to 47.1 per cent in NFHS-4.

Andhra Pradesh

Of the 10,975 women, 30 per cent said they had experienced spousal violence, both physical or sexual violence, lower compared to the last survey with 43.4 per cent.

Cases of sexual violence experienced by young women also dropped to 3.7 per cent as against 6.8 per cent in NFHS-4.

About 3.8 per cent of the women surveyed in Andhra Pradesh reported having experienced physical violence during their pregnancy.

There was an increase in the women participation in decision making of the house, with 84.1 per cent of women.

The survey also showed improvement in menstrual hygiene, with 85.1 per cent women using products such as sanitary napkins, tampons and menstrual cups during their period. The last survey reported 67.5 per cent of women using menstrual hygiene products.

Of the total women surveyed, 81.8 per cent reported having a bank account for themselves as against 66.3 per cent in the last survey.

Kerala

Among the 10,969 women surveyed in the state, 9.9 per cent reported having experienced spousal violence in NFHS-5, cases lower than the last survey with 14.3 per cent in the 2015-16 data.

About 0.5 per cent of all women surveyed in Kerala reported having experienced violence during their pregnancy, a drop from the last survey, with 1.2 per cent of the cases.

Cases of sexual violence experienced by young women also saw dropped to 1.6 per cent as against 5 per cent in NFHS-4.

About 27.3 per cent women reported owning a house or land, lower than the 34.9 per cent reported in the last survey, while 94.1 per cent of the women surveyed said they have a say in household decisions, and 78.5 per cent reported having a bank account for themselves.

Telangana

Nearly 36.9 per cent of the total women reported facing spousal violence, with cases higher in the rural area than urban.

Around 5 per cent of the young women in the state reported having experienced sexual violence by the age of 18.

There was an increase in the number of women participating in making household decisions, with 87.2 per cent as compared to 81 per cent in the last survey.

About 5.1 per cent of them reported facing physical violence during their pregnancy, a rise from earlier surveys with 2.1 per cent. The maximum number of cases were reported from rural areas.

Of 27,518 women surveyed, 92.1 per cent said they use menstrual hygiene products, an increase from the earlier 76.6 per cent from NFHS-4.

Nearly 84.4 per cent of women reported having a bank operated by themselves, with more rural women than urban women. It was an increase from the earlier 59.5 per cent in NFHS-4.

There is also a rise in the number of women owning properties. About 66.6 per cent of the women-owned property, compared to 47.4 per cent in the last survey.