A Rehabilitation for Rape and Sexual Violence Survivors

- Dhanveersinh Chavda

ONE – STOP CRISIS CENTR

Table of content :

1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Realties
4. The Scope & Limitations
5. Purpose of research
6. Research methodology
7. Nature of the project
8. Bibliography
01 A bs tra ct
 Abstract

Sexual violence is a serious public health and human rights problem with
both short- and long-term consequences on women’s physical, mental,
sexual and reproductive health. Crimes against women gets reported every
two minutes in India. As many as 2.24 million such crimes were reported
over the past decade. Rape is the fourth most common crime
against women in India. Helping rape victim recover from the trauma is
complex as there is need to assess the impact of counselling and
understand the mindset of women.

Domestic Violence is a major concern in our country today that sadly shows
no sign of abatement. Thousands of women each year fall victims to their
partner's abuse. While there are, of course, serious physical ramifications
from ongoing abuse, the mental impact is far greater. The combination of
physical and verbal violence often leads to anxiety, post traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, thoughts of
suicide, and substance abuse. Women who make the choice to leave their
abuser typically either live with a friend or family, or seek the protection of
domestic violence shelters.

It is our belief that architecture provides an opportunity of the highest level:

to engage the public through design. Our built environment has the power
to evoke an emotional response that resonates with our very soul. If
architects and designers worked to harness this potential for even an instant,
then these projects could change how users engage with their community
and themselves, rehabilitating a sense of dignity once taken from them
through the thoughtful use of space, light, and materiality.

KeyWords :
Sexual violence, Women Victims, Gender based violence, Violence Against
Women Act, Immigrant, Rape, Negative, Survivors, Dowry, Rehabilitation ,
psychological, survivors recover
Fig. illustration by Zehra Nawab about female victims of violence
02 PIntroduction
 Introduction

"The world which worships Mother Mary and goddess Durga also
has experienced such heinous crimes against her daughters."

For thesis we have first identified the definition of domestic

violence and shared critical statistics of abuse to understand the ultimate
"why" of it all. We have also looked at the symptoms of abuse that
victims often experience. Understanding the mental and emotional state
of battered women as they enter an emergency shelter is imperative for
us, as designers, to begin our work; what must an environment look and
feel like so that it can promote physical and mental healing?

Domestic violence can have a variety of meanings for different

researchers. Here, we define domestic violence as physical and mental
abuse carried out against women by men from current or former
intimate partner relationships. These men may be either spouses or
cohabitors. Similarly, the term violence has a broad range of meaning.
According to Straus et al's Conflict Tactics Scale, violence consists of
both severe acts and total acts:

Acts of severe violence carry a high likelihood of physical injury and

include kicking, biting, hitting, choking, beating up, threatening with a
knife or gun, and using a knife or gun. Total domestic violence includes
severe violence as well as less injurious physical acts such as throwing
something, shoving, pushing, grabbing, slapping, or spanking.’
It is when I realized that in our country the female victims of
violence need a voice; they need to be remembered; they needed
our support. It is the need of the hour. Somewhere the voice had to
be translated in form of architecture to generate awareness about
the crime in the society. Thus for the cause -proposing a place for
Remembrance, Healing and Awareness of Female Victims of Violence
in India.
After the problems and concerns are identified, it was important to
find out the strategies to be implemented.
The idea is to have a planned and systematic distribution of the
resources available. The one stop crisis Centre proposed by the
government is taken forward to create an effective solution to the
problem. A city is divided into various zones where in the police
territorial jurisdiction is defined. If we consider Surat city, it is divided into
4 zones. The one stop Centre in each zone report to ONE STOP
03 Real ities
 History & Timeline
There have been a wide range of studies investigating patterns of
domestic violence over the past several decades. However, differing
methods, inconsistent goals, and a variety of demographics surveyed
has resulted in a diverse spectrum of statistical data. Some reports
range from 13 to 30% for lifetime instances of violence. These
inconsistencies can arguably be more of a detriment than aid to the
fight against domestic violence. In recent years, however, researchers
have been more successful at narrowing their objectives and using
more reliable methodologies.
Timeline of women's achievements in India :
The steady change in the position of women can be highlighted by
looking at what has been achieved by women in the country:
▪ 1848: Savitribai Phule, along with her husband Jyotirao Phule,
opened a school for girls in Pune, India. Savitribai Phule became the
first woman teacher in India.
▪ 1879: John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune established the Bethune
School in 1849, which developed into the Bethune College in 1879,
thus becoming the first women's college in India.
▪ 1883: Chandramukhi Basu and Kadambini Ganguly became the first
female graduates of India and the British Empire.
▪ 1886: Kadambini Ganguly and Anandi Gopal Joshi became the first
women from India to be trained in Western medicine.
▪ 1905: Suzanne RD Tata becomes the first Indian woman to drive a
car.
▪ 1917: Annie Besant became the first female president of the Indian
National Congress.
▪ 1916: The first women's university, SNDT Women's University, was
founded on 2 June 1916 by the social reformer Dhondo Keshav
Karve with just five students.
▪ 1919: For her distinguished social service, Pandita Ramabai became
the first Indian woman to be awarded the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal by
the British Raj.
▪ 1925: Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian born female president
of the Indian National Congress.
▪ 1927: The All India Women's Conference was founded.
▪ 1936: Sarla Thakral became the first Indian woman to fly an aircraft.
▪ 1944: Asima Chatterjee became the first Indian woman to be
conferred the Doctorate of Science by an Indian university.
▪ 1947: On 15 August 1947, following independence, Sarojini Naidu
became the governor of the United Provinces, and in the process
became India's first woman governor. On the same day, Amrit
Kaur assumed office as the first female Cabinet minister of India in
the country's first cabinet.
Between 15 and 76 percent of women are targeted for physical
and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, according to the available data.
Most of this violence takes place within intimate relationships, with
many women (ranging from 9 to 70 percent) reporting their husbands
or partners as the perpetrator. Across the 28 States of the European
Union, a little over one in five women has experienced physical and/or
sexual violence from a partner (European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights, 2004).
Timeline of women's achievements in India :
Post independence: Rukmini Devi Arundale was the first ever
woman in Indian History to be nominated a Rajya Sabha member. She
is considered the most important revivalist in the Indian classical
dance form of Bharatanatyam from its original 'sadhir' style, prevalent
amongst the temple dancers, Devadasis. She also worked for the re-
establishment of traditional Indian arts and crafts.
▪ 1951: Prem Mathur of the Deccan Airways becomes the first Indian
woman commercial pilot.
▪ 1953: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit became the first woman (and first
Indian) president of the United Nations General Assembly
▪ 1959: Anna Chandy becomes the first Indian woman judge of a
High Court (Kerala High Court)
▪ 1963: Sucheta Kriplani became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh,
the first woman to hold that position in any Indian state.
▪ 1966: Captain Durga Banerjee becomes the first Indian woman pilot
of the state airline, Indian Airlines.
▪ 1966: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay wins Ramon Magsaysay award for
community leadership.
▪ 1966: Indira Gandhi becomes the first woman Prime Minister of
India
▪ 1970: Kamaljit Sandhu becomes the first Indian woman to win a
Gold in the Asian Games
▪ 1972: Kiran Bedi becomes the first female recruit to join the Indian
Police Service.
▪ 1978: Sheila Sri Prakash becomes the first female entrepreneur to
independently start an architecture firm
▪ 1979: Mother Teresa wins the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first
Indian female citizen to do so.
▪ 1984: On 23 May, Bachendri Pal became the first Indian woman to
climb Mount Everest.
▪ 1986: Surekha Yadav became the first Asian woman loco-pilot or
railway driver.
▪ 1989: Justice M. Fathima Beevi becomes the first woman judge of
the Supreme Court of India.
▪ 1991: Mumtaz M. Kazi became the first Asian woman to drive a
diesel locomotive in September.
▪ 1992: Asha Sinha becomes the First Woman Commandant in
the Paramilitary forces of India when she was appointed
Commandant, Central Industrial Security Force in Mazagon Dock
Shipbuilders Limited.
▪ 1992: Priya Jhingan becomes the first lady cadet to join the Indian
Army (later commissioned on 6 March 1993)
▪ 1999: On 31 October, Sonia Gandhi became the first female Leader
of the Opposition (India).
▪ The first Indian woman to win an Olympic Medal, Karnam
Malleswari, a bronze medal at the Sydney Olympics in the 69 kg
weight category in Weightlifting event.
Timeline of women's achievements in India :

▪ 2007: On 25 July, Pratibha Patil became the first female President of

India.
▪ 2009: On 4 June, Meira Kumar became the first female Speaker of
Lok Sabha.
▪ 2011: On 20 October, Priyanka N. drove the inaugural train of
the Namma Metro becoming the first female Indian metro pilot.
▪ 2011:Mitali Madhumita made history by becoming the first woman
officer to win a Sena Medal for gallantry.
▪ 2014: A record 7 female ministers are appointed in the Modi
ministry, of whom 6 hold Cabinet rank, the highest number of
female Cabinet ministers in any Indian government in history.
Ministries such as Defense and External Affairs are being held by
Women Ministers.
▪ 2015: Sumita Bose the first author and first woman to write the
autism book in India. http://indiabookofrecords.in/first-book-on-
autism/
▪ 2016: J. Jayalalithaa, became the first woman chief minister in India
to die in office on 5 December 2016.
▪ 2017: On 25 March, Tanushree Pareek became the first female
combat officer commissioned by the Border Security Force.
▪ 2018: Archana Rama Sundaram of 1980 Batch became the first
Woman to become the Director General of Police of a Paramilitary
Force as DG, Sashastra Seema Bal.
 Crime against women

Police report in India show a high incidence of crime against

women. The National Crime Records Bureau reported in 1998 that by
2020 growth rate of crimes against women will exceed the population
growth rate. Earlier many crimes against women were not reported to
police due to the social stigma. Official statistics show a dramatic
increase in the number of reported crimes against women.

It includes rape, sexual assault, and insult to modesty, kidnapping,

abduction, cruelty by intimate partner or relatives, trafficking,
persecution of dowry, dowry deaths, indecency, female infanticide
and all other crimes listed in Indian Penal Code.

Year Reported Violence

2016 4,03,856
2017 4,13,605
2018 4,00,585
2019 5,28,650
2020 5,44,270

65% of Indian men believe women should tolerate violence in

order to keep the family together, and women sometimes deserve to
be beaten. In January 2011, the International Men and Gender
Equality Survey reported that 24% of Indian men had committed
sexual violence at some point during their lives.

The map shows the comparative rate of violence against women in

Indian states and union territories in 2012. Crime rate data per 100,000
women in this map is the broadest definition of crime against women
under Indian law.
Dowry Deaths Cases :
Marriage as a social institution is recognized as a civilized social order
where two individuals, capable of entering into the union, have
pledged themselves to the institutional norms and values and
promised to each other a very strong bond to sustain and maintain
the marital obligation. Despite all the promises made at different
occasions of marriage ceremony that the individual incompatibilities
but certain circumstances occurred where the husbands and his
families demand i.e. Dowry which is not fulfilled can sometimes
become a revenge.

A dowry death is a murder or suicide of a married woman caused by

a dispute over her dowry. In some cases, husbands and in-laws will
attempt to extort a greater dowry through continuous harassment
and torture, which sometimes results in the wife committing suicide.
The majority of these suicides are done through hanging, poisoning
or self-immolation. Dowry is illegal in India, but it is still common
practice to give expensive gifts to groom and his relatives at
weddings, by the family of the bride.

A map of the Indian dowry death rate per 100,000 people in 2012.
(1.4 deaths per year per)
Fig. A few samples from the study on Indian newspapers’ reports on violence again women and girls by Niharika Pandit and Amanda Gilbertson
Honour Killing :
An Honour killing is a murder of a family member who has been
considered to bring dishonor and shame upon the family Examples
of reasons for Honour killings includes the refusal to enter an
arranged marriage, committing adultery, choosing a partner that
the family disapproves of, and becoming a victim of rape.
Honour killings are rooted to tradition and cannot be justified by
any major world religion, because none of the major world religions
condone Honour-related crimes. The most prominent areas where
Honour killings occur in India are northern regions. Honour killings
are especially seen in Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.
Witchcraft Related Murder :
Murders of women accused of witchcraft still occur in India. Poor
women, widows, and women from lower castes are most at risk of
such killings. Violence against women related to accusations of
witchcraft occurs in India, particularly in parts of Northern India.
Belief in the supernatural among the Indian population is still strong,
and lynchings for witchcraft are reported by the media.
In Assam and West Bengal between 2003 and 2008 there
were around 750 deaths related to accusations of witchcraft.
Officials of Chhattisgarh reported in 2008 that at least 100 women
are maltreated annually as suspected witches. Allegations of
Witchcraft that result in communal murder have been a part of
rural India's history.
Female Infanticide :
Female infanticide is the elected killing of a newborn female child In
India, there is incentive to have a son, because they offer security to
the family in old age and are able to conduct rituals for deceased
parents and ancestors. In contrast, daughters are considered to be a
social and economic burden.
Female foeticide :
Female foeticide is the elected abortion of a fetus, because it is
female. Female foeticide occurs when a family has a strong
preference for sons over daughters, which is a common cultural
theme in India. Modern medical technology has allowed for the
gender of a child to be determined while the child is still a fetus.
Once these modern prenatal diagnostic techniques
determine the gender of the fetus, families then are axle to
decide if they would like to abort based on gender. If they decide
to abort the fetus after discovering it is female, they are
committing female foeticide.
Rape Victims :
In India, a woman is raped every 7 minutes on an average in
India in 2020, according to government data released. Rape is the
fourth most common crime against women in India.
According to the India recorded an average of 87 rape cases
daily in 2019 and overall 4,05,861 cases of crime against
women during the year, a rise of over 7% from 2019, the latest
government data released on September 29, 2020. Out of these,
44,470 were committed by someone known to the victim (98%
of the cases). India has been characterized as one of the "countries
with the lowest per capita rates of rape".
65% of Indian men believe women should tolerate violence in
order to keep the family together, and women sometimes deserve to
be beaten and Even after the 2013 reform, marital rape when wife
and husband live together, continued not to be a crime in India.
Year Reported Rapes
2016 30,966
2017 32,529
2018 33,356
2019 36.840
Marital Rape :
In India, marital rape is not a criminal offense. 20% of Indian men
admit to forcing their wives or partners to have sex. Marital rape can
be classified into one of three types: Battering rape: This includes
both physical and sexual violence. The majority of marital rape victims
experience battering rape. Force-only rape: Husbands use the
minimum amount of force necessary to coerce wife. Compulsive
Rape: Torture and/or perverse sexual acts occur and often physically
violent.
Witchcraft Related Murder :
Gang Rape is defined as the rape of an individual by two or
more perpetrators. The 2012 Delhi gang rape brought a lot of
international attention to the issue of gang rape in India. Following the
Delhi gang-rape, there was widespread national and international
coverage of the incident as well as public protests against the
government of India and Delhi. Modesty-related violence against
women includes assaults on women with intent to outrage her
modesty and insults to the modesty of women. From 2011 to 2012,
there was a 5.5% increase in reported assaults on women with intent to
outrage her modesty.
Madhya Pradesh had 6,655 cases, accounting for 14.7% of the
national incidents. From 2011 to 2012, there was a 7.0% increase in
reported insults to the modesty of women. Andhra Pradesh had
3,714 cases, accounting for 40.5% of the national accounts, and
Maharashtra had 3,714 cases, accounting for 14.1% of the national
accounts. Women reported almost 34,000 rapes in 2018.
Just over 85 per cent led to charges, and 27 per cent to
convictions, according to National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) -- the
annual crime report released by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Women
reported almost 34,000 rapes in 2018, barely changed from the
year before. Just over a quarter led to convictions and the real figures
are almost certainly far higher.
Rape Victims :
Women are becoming more independent and educated,
which is increasing their likelihood to report their rape.
Although rapes are becoming more frequently reported,
many go unreported or have the complaint files withdrawn
due to the perception of family Honors being compromised.
Women frequently do not receive justice for their rapes,
because police often do not give a fair hearing, and/or
medical evidence is often unrecorded which makes it easy for
offenders to get away with their crimes under the current laws.
Increased attention in the media and awareness among both
Indians and the outside world is both bringing attention to the
issue of rape in India and helping empower women to report
the crime. The number of reported rapes nearly doubled from
143 reported in January-March 2012 to 359 during the three
months after rape.
Bride burning :
Bride burning is a form of domestic violence practiced in
countries located on or around the Indian subcontinent. A
category of dowry death, bride-burning occurs when a
young woman is murdered by her husband or his family for
her family's refusal to pay additional dowry. The wife is
typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other
flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire.
Kerosene is often used as the cooking fuel for dangerous
small petrol stoves, so it allows the claim that the crime was an
accident. It is most common in India and has been a major
problem there since at least 1993.
In 1995, Time magazine reported that dowry deaths in India
increased from around 400 a year in the early 1980s to around
5,800 a year by the middle of the 1990s. A year later, CNN ran
a story saying that every year police receive more than 2,500
reports of bride burning. According to Indian National Crime
Record Bureau, there were 1,948 convictions and 3,876
acquittals in dowry death cases in 2008.
Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/diu/story/rajasthan- reports-spike-in-rapes-
eight-among-india-s-10-most-unsafe- districts-are-here-1729341-2020-10-07
10 MOST DANGEROUS
STATES FOR WOMEN
RAPE CASES IN THESE
STATES HAVE ALMOST
DOUBLED OVER THE
PAST DECADE 39%
61%
TOTAL
Sources NCRB,
(ALL INDIA) Census 2011;
37,681 Research : Atul Thakur
Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_violence_in_India
 Chandigarh 27
Uttarakhand 129

NORTH
Himachal Pradesh 168

Rape Map Jammu & Kashmir

Punjab
277
479
Number of reported cases in 2011 Delhi 572
Haryana 733
Rajasthan 1800
Uttar Pradesh 2042

SOUTH
Andhra Pradesh 1442
Kerla 1132
Tamilnadu 677
Karnataka 636
Popondicherry 7

Assam 1400

NORTH EAST
Tripura 205
Meghalay 130
Mizoram 77
Manipur 53
Arunachal Pradesh 42
Nagaland 23
Sikkim 16

Maharastra 1701

WEST
Gujarat 436
Goa 29
Dadar-Nagar 4
Daman & Diu 1

CENTRAL
Madhya Pradesh 3423
Chhattisgarh 1053
Jharkhand 784

*Union Territories
Note : Excluding Andam & Nikobar West Bengal 2364
& Lakshadweep Island
EAST

Odisha 1112
Sources : Ministry of Home Affairs Bihar 784
The Wall Street Journals
Rape cases in India
More than 1,45,000 rape case were pending Rape victims reported per
trial in India courts by end – 2019, the attest 1,00,000 Women
year for which data is available.0
05 10 15 20

Rape cases with female victims by age

group
Out of the over 32,000 reported victims in
2019, about 15 percent of the victims are
children.

Under 06 3

06 to under 12 6

12 to under 16 26

16 to under 18 30

18 to under 30 58

30 to under 45 22

45 to under 60 6

60 & Above 1

Source : National Crime Records Bureau; Census of India 2018.

0 20 40 60 80
 Facts

More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) [..] in the India

country have experienced rape, physical violence,
and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.

Of these apes will be

perpetrated by
acquaintances

Of college rape
survivors will report
their experience to law
enforcement authorities
 64.3% Women are called
names ugly, fat, crazy, or
stupid.

58% are being insulted,

humiliated, or made fun of

57.9% Women witnessed

an intimate partner act
angry in a way that seemed
dangerous
“Nearly 1 in 10 women in the India has been raped
by an intimate partner in her lifetime.”
 The IDEA The Women

The purpose of taking up the project is to create a helpdesk, a
support system, a healing environment for any women in need of it; to
give any woman in need a chance at normalcy, may it be a victim of
violence & abuse, a commercial sex worker or a woman seeking aid.
It's to challenge the very idea of "shelter homes', that act as just
that: a shelter. So why just a shelter? Why help just one category of
"woman in need"? Why accept abuse?
Women irrespective of their social status, class, caste, achievements
are assaulted on a daily basis, be it in the form of mental, emotional,
physical, sexual abuse or mere eve teasing , or objectification. these
women are told it is "okay", to not react, to not take a stand, driving
the strongest of women into trauma and de-pression, among worse.
So the term vulnerable woman in general could refer to any and every
women in today's society.

Globally, the only space created for these women are shelter
homes, that more often than not, don't provide anything close to a
healing space or even a comfortable one, for that matter. The women
here are the victims, the ones who've suffered, and yet some-how they
are the ones treated with disrespect, looked down upon, shamed and
burdened with social stigma; locked up in terrible conditions and
mistreated all over again, when they are the ones in need of help,
support, understanding, hope and empowerment. The support and
aid we could provide for them, as scope of the project would be:

Redefining a shelter for Women :

Helpline Freedom to Support Safety Education

express

Empowerment Legal Education

 Law’s for Wo m en safety

Women’s Safety Laws : ▪ Maternity Benefit Act, 1861

▪ Indian Penal Code, 1860 ▪ Hindu Adoption & Maintenance ACT, 1956

▪ Indian Evidence Act, 1872 ▪ Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973

▪ Married Women's Property Act, 1874
▪ Workmen's compensation Act, 1923
▪ Indian Successions Act, 1925
▪ Immoral Traffic (prevention) Act, 1956
▪ Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
▪ Births, Deaths & Marriages Registration Act, 1886
▪ Minimum Wages Act, 1948
▪ Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012
▪ The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006
▪ Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971
▪ National Commission for Women Act, 1990
▪ The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques
Act, 1994
▪ Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
▪ Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place Act, 2013
▪ Indian Divorce Act, 1969
▪ Equal Remuneration Act, 1976

▪ Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application, 1937 ▪ Hindu Widows Remarriage Act, 1856

▪ Indecent Representation of Women (Prevention) Act, 1986 ▪ Muslim women (protection of rights on divorce) Act, 1986

▪ Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 ▪ The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013
▪ Hindu Successions Act, 1956 ▪ The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013
▪ Foreign Marriage Act, 1969

▪ Family Courts Act, 1984

Total rape cases reported by year Charged cases and conviction rate

40 2012-12 59.4 40.6

35
2013-14 58.6 43.1

30

2014-15 62.5 37.5

25

2015-16 63.2 36.8

20

15
2016-17 60.3 39.7

10
2017-18 56.9 43.1

2018-19 57.9 42.1

0

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Note: Crime statistics in India follows the primary offence rule. In an event where the victim is raped and murdered, the incident will be
recorded as a murder and not rape, because the primary offence is what the government considers the 'most heinous crime° - in this
case, murder. Such cases will be excluded from data about rape. Figures for Gujarat are from 2018.
Source : National Crime Records Bureau; Census of India 2011.
Online or digital violence :
Online or digital violence against women refers to any act of
violence that is committed, assisted or aggravated by the use of
information and communication technology (mobile phones, the
Internet, social media, computer games, text messaging, email, etc.)
against a woman because she is a woman. Online violence can
include the following.
Cyberbullying :
Cyberbullying involves the sending of intimidating or threatening
messages.
Non-consensual sexting :
Non-consensual sexting involves the sending of explicit messages or
photos without the recipient’s consent.
Doxing :
Doxing involves the public release of private or identifying
information about the victim.
Domestic violence :
Domestic violence, also called domestic abuse oí intimate
paítneí violence, is any patteín of behavioí that is used to gain oí
maintain poweí and contíol oveí an intimate paítneí. It
encompasses all physical, sexual, emotional, economic and
psychological actions oí thíeats of actions that influence anotheí
peíson. ľhis is one of the most common foíms of violence
expeíienced by women globally. Domestic violence can include
the following.
Economic violence :
Economic violence involves making or attempting to make
a person financially dependent by maintaining total control
over financial resources, withholding access to money, and/or
forbidding attendance at school or employment.
Psychological violence :
Psychological violence involves causing fear by
intimidation; threatening physical harm to self, partner or
children; destruction of pets and property; “mind games”; or
forcing isolation from friends, family, school and/or work.
Emotional violence :
Emotional violence includes undermining a person's sense
of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one's abilities;
name-calling or other verbal abuse; damaging a partner's
relationship with the children; or not letting a partner see friends
and family.
Physical violence :
Physical violence involves hurting or trying to hurt a partner
by hitting, kicking, burning, grabbing, pinching, shoving,
slapping, hair-pulling, biting, denying medical care or forcing
alcohol and/or drug use, or using other physical force. It may
include property damage.
Sexual violence :
Sexual violence involves forcing a partner to take part in a
sex act when the partner does not consent. See more about
sexual violence below.
 ONE IN FOUR WOMEN LIVING
IN INDIA HAS BEEN RAPED
IN HER LIFETIME
Who women told about their experience of rape.

No one 21%

Mother 27%

Friends 26%

Sister 18%

Father 10%

Police 8%

Medical Facility 5%

Counselor 4%

Social Worker 3%

Community Policing Forum 1

*If women told someone about their experience, options were not mutually exclusive
04 The Scope & Limitations
 The Scope & Limitations

The thesis would effectively be a derivative of the live and

literature case studies, proposing to create an healing
environment using architecture and its elements as a tool to
help the social cause of degenerative abuse of women;
although the project may not the solve the issue, it aims to be
a step forward towards a better world for women.

Aspects such as funding, ownership etc would not be

dealt with within the scope of the thesis.

Although architecture greatly influences the ambience of

a space, the architect's vision is not always guaranteed in the
lifetime of the building. Therefore though the objective of the
project is to stimulate healing through the architectural spaces
created, the extent of that being successful is very much
depended on each individual user and their mindset.

A project like this one, is essentially an argumentative

project, which hasn't been practically attempted before and
thus has the possibility of being purely theoretical.
05 Pur pose o f Pro ject
 Architectural Concerns

▪ One of the major concern of the project is to give the survivors of
Rape and sexual violence a REASON TO APPROACH the Centre.
In many cases, the victims are not aware of what they should do
after this tragic incident happens to them. Thus a facility that would
provide them with all necessary help which is required to restore
themselves into their old self is essential.
▪ In order to contribute in the overall development of the Survivors it
is important to have a LONG TERM EFFECT so that they can lead a
confident and independent life.
▪ An important challenge was to tackle the ANTI- SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR AND ISOLATION of the victims from the rest thus
making it necessary to design spaces for social interaction .
▪ These victims are filled with a huge amount of NEGATIVE
EMOTIONS in the form anger, disgust, guilt thereby making it
essential to TRANSFORM these NEGATIVE EMOTIONS into
something POSITIVE. Thus creating spaces that would channelize
their emotions in order to bring positivity in their lives and
surroundings.

▪ Such centers are prone to illegal activities, therefore one of the

major challenge was to maintain TRANSPARENCY and CLARITY
of activities going inside the Centre.

▪ While designing for such sensitive user group, the primary

architectural and psychological concern was to make spaces
responsive to the actions, behavioral pattern and psychology of
the users thus creating a USER –RESPONSIVE design.

▪ Helping the rape victims recover the trauma is complex as there is

a need to assess the impact of counselling and understand the
mindset of woman. Hence the intent was to design spaces for
COUNSELLING IN A LESS FORMAL WAY considering the natural
pattern of EFFECTIVE INTERACTION between the counsellor and
the victim.

▪ The victims are more prone to harming themselves. Therefore, it is

important to design considering their safety by way of CONSTANT
SUPERVISION either by authorities or by fellow survivors.
 Role of an architect

In India Sati, Savitri, Durga, Laxmi are worshipped by people The real issue behind the Increasing Violence against Women in
treating them as goddesses where as there is increasing number of India is lack of Awareness and the Patriarchal society. Crimes
violence against women. The amount of violence against women against women occur every minute in India. Women are not safe,
has increased by many fold due to the greater exposure of women whether it is in their houses, public places or at the workplace. Your
in every field of life. Women were previously restricted to the four safety in your hands sounds like a cliched adage to repeat.
walls of the houses and after globalization they have got the
chances and opportunities to stand equally in all sectors at par with The role of an architect is creating order in devastated
male. environments. The architect's role is to express certain emotions
It is a good sign that the patriarchal mind set of the society has and tragedy as Living memory in form of a building.
changed to some extent but not to the extent it was supposed to. It is
the same mind set that restricts women to go out and work making
them as a tool for domestication. It is the same mind set that treats
males as superior than female and always try to dominate the
women folk; thus violence is increasing in India and women safety is
a concern in India.

Along with the mind set the slow pace of operation of Indian
judiciary is another major reason for the increasing women safety in
India. The police of India is not efficient and not neutral and that is
the reason why the cases of violence against women takes long
time in the investigation phase. In the name of social pressure and
shame many women did not come out and report the matter to
police.

In order to improve women safety in India the first task is to

improve the number of women in every sphere of society. Along
with that the change in mind set of people is very essential for the
safety of women. From family to educational institutions men
should be taught about respecting females.
06 Research methodology
Violence against women are based on shall be understood as any act
or conduct, based on gender, which causes death or physical, sexual
or psychological harm or suffering to women, whether in the public or
the private sphere. The entire dissertation can be broadly divided into
six section as follows:

The study of history of statutes of women in India :

• The status of women in India has been subjected to many great
changes over the past few millennia. With a decline in their status
from the ancient to medieval times, to the promotion of equal rights
by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful.

The study of the types of crime against women :

• It includes rape, sexual assault, and insult to modesty, kidnapping,
abduction, cruelty by intimate partner or relatives, trafficking,
persecution of dowry, dowry deaths, indecency, female infanticide
and all other crimes listed in Indian Penal Code.

The study of the current scenario in India :

• This section revolves around the present scenario of the ways and
process followed in India and the crime faced by the women’s. More
than 38000 rape cases reporter in the year 2019. On average, a
woman is raped every 15 minutes.

The study of rules and regulations :

• The Government of India have enforced a set of policies, rules and
regulations that need to be critically analysed before making.

The study of ways of they feel after victimise by someone:

• These victims are filled with a huge amount of negative emotions in
the form anger, disgust, guilt thereby making it essential to
transform these negative emotions into something positive.

The study of the survivors journey through rehabilitation :

• Help women victims to share their experience, Also they recognize
that they are not alone & understand the current impact of this
experience on their lives and begin to process feelings and beliefs
associated with the trauma.
04 Nature of Project
 The Scope & Limitations

Sexual violence is a serious public health and human rights

problem with both short- and long-term consequences on women’s
physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. The project aims
at architectural translation of spaces to the behavior and
psychology of the survivors binding them in a community where
the survivors will themselves be able to help the fellow survivors
recover.

These victims are filled with a huge amount of negative

emotions in the form anger, disgust, guilt thereby making it
essential to transform these negative emotions into something
positive. Thus creating spaces that would channelize their
emotions in order to bring positivity in their lives and surroundings.
The broad idea is to unleash the boundaries of the formal
institutional framework into an informal framework of activities
giving flexibility and freedom to the users to use it the way they
want to, thus making it more approachable in order to help the
survivors recover back into their normal lives.
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