Letter to the Editor
Curb domestic violence
The National Crime Record Bureau data have pointed out that the number of cases registered under section 498A of IPC for ‘cruelty by husband or his relatives’ recorded an increase of 21.3 per cent in 2019 compared with 2018. Moreover, the number of cases registered under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (PWDV) Act reflected a decline of 4.5 per cent in 2019 over 2018.
The reasons for the under-reporting of cases were personnel, societal, and institutional. The Parliamentary Committee on Home Affairs has recommended that the Home Ministry advices states and union territories to conduct sensitization and briefings of ground-level officials dealing with the PWDV Act so that women facing domestic violence could be better equipped to access justice.
The awareness programs at the grass-root level, fast-track courts, and rehabilitation facilities can be helpful in curbing domestic violence.
Amit Singh Kushwaha, Satna (MP)
