THE ROLE OF MEDIA ON THE FAME OF MIND TOWARDS

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND LAWS IN INDIA

A dissertation report submitted to Odisha State Open

University, Sambalpur in partial fulfillment for the awardof degree in

MASTER OF ARTS IN JOURNALISM AND

MASS COMMUNICATION

SUBMITTED BY
NAME– PRITI PRIYANKA
ENROLLMENT – MJMC2210374
PROGRAMME – MJMC (2022-23)

UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF –

ALOKESH RAY (VISITING PROFESSOR)

MONTH AND YEAR OF SUBMISSION

APRIL 2024
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that dissertation entitled “The Role of Media on

the fame of mind towards domestic violence and laws of India”
submitted by (Priti Priyanka/MJMC/JMC301/MJMC2210374.) is
her own work and has been prepared under my guidance and
supervision.

This project is a bonafide work done by Mr./ Ms.Priti Priyanka and

is submitted to Odisha State Open University, Sambalpur in partial
fulfillment for the award of
Masters of Journalisim and Mass Communication Programme.

To the best of my knowledge, the work has not been submitted

elsewhere for the award Degree / Diploma / Certificate. It is
recommended that this Dissertation be placed before the
examiner for evaluation.

Alokesh Ray,
Signature of the
Supervisor

Alokesh Ray,
( Visiting Professor)
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation titled, “The Role of Media on the
fame of mind towards domestic violence and laws of India”

is a bona fide work done by me under the Supervision of Mr. Alokesh Ray.

The present work is original and has not been submitted at any University /
Institution for awardof Degree / Diploma / Certificate.

Priti Priyanka

Signature of the Learner

Name: PritiPrianka

Enrollment No.

MJMC2210374
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At the outset I would like to express deep sense of

gratitude to Mr. Alokesh Ray (Visiting Professor), for his
scholarly guidance, close supervision and inspiration
through the entire project work, otherwise it could not
have been possible.

My thanks to my parents, friends and other for their

emotional support through the entire project work.

I also acknowledge the good wishes extended to me by

everyone without which the work would not have been
accomplished.

Priti Priyanka
Signature of the Learner
 ABSTRACT

Gender discrimination and domestic violence are endemic in India and pose an
issue of tremendous human rights and public health concern.

However, violence against women continues to be perceived as acceptable by a

large proportion of both men and women. This paper explores the question: does
greater exposure to media affect acceptance of domestic violence by women in
India? First, I describe two channels through which greater access to media could
affect women’s acceptance of domestic violence. Then, I use a difference-in-
differences strategy to look at the relationship between switching into frequently
watching television and/or listening to radio over time and the acceptance of
violence by women.

Using all-India, household-level data from two rounds of the National Family
Health Survey of India conducted in 1998-99 and 2005-06, I find no significant
impact of switching into either only watching television or only listening to radio in
the second period on women’s acceptance of violence. However, the impact of
television when a woman switches into accessing both media over time is
associated with a 3.9% reduced probability of accepting domestic violence,
indicating a complementary effect of both media on reducing women’s acceptance
of violence. While the results do not provide clear evidence on which mechanisms
drive the association between increased access to media and reduced probability
of accepting violence, I find that the complementary effect of television and radio
is able to cross the education and urban rural divides. These results indicate that
policies which seek to empower women can promote the regular use of
complementary media to further the cause of women’s empowerment.

Article15 (3) gives power to the legislature, the Protection of Women from
Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2005 to make special provision for women
and children.
 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:-

The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of domestic violence and 3 of
its components – emotional abuse, physical violence, and sexual violence among
women. To empower woman about their rights the media plays a significant role to
give them their rights and to provide them the law according to the Indian Judiciary
system. Domestic Violence is widely prevalent but has remained largely invisible due
to social forbearance. There are pretty much laws are enacted to reduce the domestic
violence.

This links between greater exposure to media over time and women’s attitudes
towards domestic violence in India. Study proposes two channels through which
media access could have an impact on acceptance of violence: accessing media could
positively influence general norms about women’s status and reduce acceptance of
violence, or it may lead to substitution away from house hold duties, which may
increase the probability of experiencing and accepting violence. Using house-hold
level data on media use and acceptance of violence by women. Considerable increase
in media access that India has experienced, could lead to greater reductions in the
acceptance and incidence of domestic violence, and further the cause of woman
empowerment.

Domestic violence is currently defined in India by the Protection of Women from

Domestic Violence Act of 2005. According to Section 3 of the Act, "any act, omission
or commission or conduct of the respondent shall constitute domestic violence in
case it;

Harms or injures or endangers the health, safety, life, limb or well-being, whether
mental or physical, of the aggrieved person or tends to do so and includes causing
physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal and emotional abuse and economic abuse or
Harasses, harms, injures or endangers the aggrieved person with a view to coerce her
or any other person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any dowry or
other property or valuable security or has the effect of threatening the aggrieved
person or any person related to her by any conduct

Mentioned in clause (a) or clause (b). Otherwise injures or causes harm,

whether physical or mental, to the aggrieved person.
 TABLE OF CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION ------------------------------------------ (1-10)

 DOMESTICVIOLENCE
 CONSEQUENCESOFDOMESTIC VIOLENCE
 TYPEOF VIOLENCE
 IMPLICATIONOFHUMANRIGHTS

2. IMPACTOFMEDIAONTHEPEOPLEOF INDIA ------------ (11-23)

 ROLEOFSOCIAL MEDIA
 ROLEOFPRINTMEDIAANDELECTRONICMEDIA
 MEDIAETHICS

3. ACTIONTOWARDSDOMESTICVIOLENCE -------- (24-31)

 POTRAYALOFWOMENBYMEDIA
 ROLEOFSOCIAL WORKERS
 FIGHTINGTHE'DOMESTICVIOLENCE'EVIL

4. PUNISHMENTSET-UPFORDOMESTICVIOLENCE ----- (32-36)

 CASESOFDOMESTICVIOLENCEININDIA
 LAWSANDACTS

5. HYPOTHESIS ----------------------------------------- (37)

6. CONCLUSION ------------------------------------------ (38-41)

7. SUGGESSTION -------------------------------------------(42)

8. REFERANCES --------------------------------------------- (43)

 CHAPTER-1
INTRODUCTION;-

“There is no chance of the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is
improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on one wing.”
- Swami Vivekananda -

“Women are the only exploited group in history to have been idealized into
powerlessness”
- Karl Marx -

The most significant and longest social movement continuing is movement for
emancipation of women. Though the primary goal for women empowerment is to
improve the quality of life of women but it has also deep ramifications in social,
economic and political scenario of body polity. The media through its reach to people
at large has been instrumental though not to the extent desired in supporting the
movement for women emancipation by focusing neglect and marginalization of the
position of the women in society.

India has adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which ensure
that women are given equal rights as men and are not subjected to any kind of
discrimination. The Constitution of India also guarantees substantive justice to women.
Article 15 of the Constitution provides for prohibition of discrimination against the
citizens on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth or their subjection to
any disability, liability or restriction on such grounds. Article 15 (3) gives power to the
legislature, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2005
to make special provision for women and children. In exercise of this power.

Gender discrimination and domestic violence are endemic in India and pose aissue of
tremendous human rights and public health concern. However, violence against
women continues to be perceived as acceptable by a large population of both men and
women. Domestic violence in Indian setting has five major components: emotional
abuse; physical violence; sexual violence; honor killing; dowry-related abuse; and
death. Prevalence of physical violence

1
was 65.8%, sexual abuse was 17.5%, and emotional abuse was 54.2%. Alcohol
consumption by husband controlling behavior by family member and woman's
employment were statistically significant determinants of domestic violence.
Three-fourth of the women felt that being subjected to domestic violence hasaffected
their physical and mental health. The data categorized state wise suggest that
Uttarakhand recorded the highest number of domestic violence cases in the last two
months of lockdown. At number two rank came Haryana and the national capital Delhi
was at number three. You’ll be shocked to know of some numbers revealed in the
report which mentions that a total of 144 cases of domestic violence were reported in
Uttarakhand. From Haryana, the numbers of cases were 79 and a total of 69 cases
surfaced from Delhi.

Education of women enables them to set their own priorities, seek knowledge and
information to make their informed choices. As per data of 2004-2005 available with
the National Sample Survey, literacy rate per 1000 amongst rural women is
approximately 450 and amongst urban female is almost 700. If we view overall
position, there has been a positive development and female literacy rate has gone up
50% as per the National Sample Survey 1997 report.
Despite this progress more than 245 million Indian women can not read andwrite. Only
50% of Indian women are literate as compared to 65.5% of men. Far fewer girls than
boys go to school. Even if they are enrolled, many of thegirl students drop out of the
school.

The female adult literacy rate in Malaysia, Srilanka, China, Vietnam, and Indonesia is
more than 70% and higher than that in India. Very recently on 13th November, 2008 it
had been reported in The Telegraph on the basis of
P.T.I. report that “ India is among the 20 countries where the gender gap is thewidest,
the Global Gender Gap Report 2008 has said. It holds the 113th position among 130
countries. India ranks 25th in political empowerment, 116th in educational attainment
and 128th in health and survival. In economicparticipation and opportunity, India has
been ranked 125th .

Media are not only a source of entertainment, but also a source of information about
the outside world and exposure to other ways of life. Previous research has found that
such awareness can influence a wide range of attitudes and behaviors. Again in the
study by Jensen and Oster (2009) study
the impact of cable television on women’s status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
They find that the introduction of cable television, with television programs that
presented urban attitudes and values, is associated with a 16%

2
decrease in the reported acceptability of domestic violence and an 8.8% decrease in
son preference, as well as increases in women’s autonomy and participation in
household decision-making. Their results also provide suggestive evidence that
exposure to cable television increases school enrollment for younger children, perhaps
because of greater autonomy formade the situation even worse.

It needs to be taken note of that during the period of the four phases of the lockdown
women in India filed more domestic violence complaints than recorded in a similar
period in the last 10 years. Domestic violence has always been an acute issue in India
and the COVID-19-related lockdown even this unusual spike is only the tip of the
iceberg as 86% women who experience domestic violence do not seek help and 77% of
the victims did not even mention the incidents to anyone. Data suggest that in 2020,
between March25 and May 31, 1,477 complaints of domestic violence were made by
women. This period recorded more complaints than those received between
Marchand May in the previous 10 years. The ongoing nationwide lockdown to contain
the spread of Covid-19, there is steep rise in domestic violence cases across Odisha.
Due to this, the Odisha State Commission for Women (OSCW) has issued a WhatsApp
helpline number to address issues related to violence against women. It has been
noticed that number of violence against women has been increased throughout the
state. For easy access to the victims, the Commission introduces a whatsapp helpline
no 8763543013,” OSCW Convener Secretary said in a letter to Director, I&PR
department of the Odisha government. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik had
asked the state police DGP Abhay to take stringent action against the habitual
offenders of domestic violence.

3
 CONSEQUENCES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE;-

There are varied consequences of domestic violence depending on the victim, the age
group, the intensity of the violence and frequency of the torment they are subjected to
the consequences of the domestic violence in detail can be broadly categorized under

Effect on the victim and the family;- Effect on the society and the Effect on nation's
growth and productivity.

Effect on the victim and the family Physical Effect –

Bruises, broken bones, head injuries, lacerations and internal bleeding are some of the
acute effects of a domestic violence incident that require medical attention and
hospitalization (Jones, 1997). Some chronic health conditions that have been linked to
victims of domestic violence are arthritis , irritable bowel syndrome
(Berrios,1991).Victims who are pregnant during a domestic violence relationship
experience greater risk of miscarriage, pre-term labor andinjury to or death of fetus .

Psychological Effect;-

Among victims who are still living with their perpetrators, high amounts of stress, fear
and anxiety are commonly reported. Depression is also common, asvictims are made
to feel guilty for 'provoking' the abuse and are frequently subjected to intense criticism
.it is reported that 60% of the victims meet the diagnostic criteria for depression,
either during or after termination of the relationship, and have a greatly increased risk
of suicidability (Barnett,2001).
The most commonly referenced psychological effect of domestic violence is Post-
Traumatic Stars Disorder (PSTD).According to Vitanza, Vogal and Marshall(1995), PSTD
is characterized by ashbacks, intrusive images, exaggerated startle response,
nightmares and avoidance of triggers that are associated with the abuse. These
symptoms are generally experienced for a long span of time after the victim has left
the dangerous situation.

4
Effect on Children;-

There has been increase in acknowledgement that a child who is exposed to domestic
abuse during his upbringing will suffer in his development and psychological welfare
(Dodd, 2009). Some emotional and behavioral problems that can result due to
domestic violence include increased aggressiveness, anxiety, and changes in how a
child socializes with friends, family and authorities. Problems with attitude and
cognition in schools can start developing, along with a lack of skills such as problem-
solving. Correlation has been found between the experience of abuse and neglect in
childhood and perpetrating domestic violence and sexual abuse in adulthood (Sadler,
1994). Additionally in some cases the abuser will purposely abuse the mother in front
of the child to cause a ripple effect, hunting two victims simultaneously

5
 TYPE OF VIOLENCE;-

The data indicated that women endure tremendous cruelty at the hands of their
husbands and family members before they ever reach out for help. Most profoundly
apparent is the range and severity of the violence, the compounding of multiple types
of abuse experienced in combination, and the predominance of physical violence. It is
clear that women sought help from these organizations only after a long and severe
history of violence or after a particularly harrowing and cruel incident. Researchers
categorized the data by types of violence reported. These types were sorted into five
general categories, from 17 specific categories based on descriptions of the violence in
the narratives. Obviously, many forms of violence may also have occurred to women
who chose not to explicitly mention these in their narrative. The decision by women to
include explicit descriptions of the abuse is an important element of the records that
must be considered when exploring the kinds of experiences encompassed within the
rubric of domestic violence. For example, an incident or pattern of physical violence
may be essential before women feel entitled to seek help. However, women often
mentioned types of verbal or psychological abuse as well. In many instances, the word
“torture” in English and its Kannada equivalent was mentioned repeatedly in the
narratives. It appears to refer to both physical and mental violence and was used in
most cases to mean unbearable cruelty. The general categories of violence found
were:

 Physical violence:

This includes hitting, slapping, and beating with hands or fist, throwing objects,
violence during pregnancy and/or a forced abortion, use of a weapon (such as an iron
rod, a knife or kerosene), sexual violence of any kind (including forcing her to sleep
with other men), poisoning, and other attempts to kill her. Sexual violence may occur
as part of a regular practice of physical battering butnot be mentioned in a narrative.
The fact that relatively few women reported sexual violence may reflect discomfort in
reporting this, not necessarily the lowincidence of this type of violence.

 Abuse of loved ones:

This category includes any physical or mental cruelty and abuse to

6
complainant’s children or her natal family, such as beating of the children,
assaults of natal family members, and humiliation of family members.

 Mental and psychological violence:

This category includes threats of any kind, verbal abuse, and harassment such as
insults, filthy language and taunting, harassment for dowry and income, threats to
pour kerosene, and such humiliating actions as trying to prove she is insane, wiping
dirty hands on her face, spitting at her, treating her like a servant, and embarrassing
her at her workplace or in public.

 Cruelty and torture:

This category includes such abuses as confinement and deprivation (includingdenying

her the right to visit her family, tying her up and not allowing her out of the house, and
denying her food), forcing her to consume unpleasant or disgusting things, the
destruction or theft of her property, throwing her out of the house, taking another
wife, and desertion

 Abuse from in-law:

This category refers to physical or psychological abuse directed at the womanfrom one
of her in-laws.

Violence against women is a major concern in India. According to a report on gender

equality and women’s empowerment published by the International Institute for
Population Sciences (IIPS), 39% of currently married women aged 15-49 have
experienced some kind of violence (physical/emotional/sexual) at least once in their
current marriage, and 27% have experienced the violence in the past 12 months. The
most common form of emotional violence is being humiliated by the husband in front
of others, and the most common form of physical violence is being slapped (IIPS, 2005-
06).

7
8
 IMPLICATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS;-
As a result of their focus upon human rights education, researchers also sought to
identify inconsistencies between a framework for women’s humanrights and particular
attitudes and practices evident among organizations providing services to battered
women. Researchers were particularly concerned about the relationship of caseworker
perspectives to the services provided and to the larger efforts to improve
documentation practices. If domestic violence is seen either implicitly or explicitly to
be a natural or inevitable part of marriage, an outgrowth of the right of men to
reprimand their wives and/or a punishment for a disobedient wife, then it is not
consistent with a human rights perspective on gender-based violence. A
human rights perspective establishes unequivocally the right of all people to be free
from violence and the right of women to register a complaint against someone who
violates this right, regardless of the degree or reason for the violence. Moreover, a
community is obliged to help women access and assert this right.

They have sought to educate community organizations that human rights are not
strictly linear, where rights are accessed one after the other. They asserts instead that
human rights form a web, each influencing other rights, and in turn being influenced
by them. For instance, violence or the threat of violence may prevent a woman from
accessing her right to mobility. This in turn restricts or denies her right to education,
her right to livelihood, and may impact upon her right to form associations. Research
to document the complexrelationship between violence and this web of human rights,
however, depends upon the existence of additional data about women seeking help.
For example, relationships between violence or the threat of violence in a
woman’s life and her employment status, her control of income earned, her freedom
to leave the house, her freedom to meet with others, or her educational attainment
are evident, but difficult to document without recorded information

9
10
 CHAPTER-2
ROLE OF MEDIA ON THE PEOPLE OF INDIA;-

As the largest democracy, India is considered a role model for a large number of
developing countries. Mass media like newspapers, radio and television play the role
of acting as a bridge between the government and the people. Let us consider an
example. The government decides that the prices of petrol and diesel will either be
increased or decreased. That decision needs to be conveyed to the people. This is done
by the media. The media not only inform the people about it but also explain the effect
of that decision taken by the government on the people. We have state and central
governments elected by the people. We have a government run by our own elected
representatives, known as Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the state and
Members of Parliament (MPs) at the center. Modern democratic governments have
the following:
a) A Legislature, i.e. State Assemblies and Parliament, responsible for framing laws
and decide the way we run our affairs.
b) An Executive: The Governor, the Chief Minister and the Ministers who run the
state and the President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers who run the
country.
c) A Judiciary: The Supreme Court, High Courts and other courts which decide
whether laws and the constitutional provisions are followed by the elected
governments. These institutions run the government of the country for the welfare
and development of all the people. In a democracy, the people should know what the
three institutions, namely the Legislature, the Executive andthe Judiciary are doing
for the welfare of the people. These institutions in turn need to know how the people
are reacting to what they are doing. The main role of the mass media is to act as a
bridge between the people and the government. So, in that sense, media can be
considered as the fourth institution in a democracy.

11
 ROLE OF MASS MEDIA;-

Using all-India, household-level data from two rounds of the National Family Health
Survey of India conducted in 1998-99 and 2005-06, I find no significant impact of
switching into either only watching television or only listening to radio in the second
period on women’s acceptance of domestic violence. However, the impact of
television when a woman starts accessing both media regularly in the second period is
associated with a 3.9% reduced probability of accepting violence, indicating a
complementary effect of watching television and listening to radio on reducing
women’s acceptance of violence.

It has changed the Indian society from a naive society to a mature one. It is well
accepted that mass media has crucial role in the process of social change. Television
among all the mass media has a unique place and has enormous potential for inducing
change. However, the effects of television are not without any loop hole. The adverse
and negative impact of television has been well documented. Introduction of television
in the family has also adversely affected activities outside the family. It has been well
observed that the introduction of television in the home has forced the family
members to change and readjust their outside activities so that they do not
interfere in their watching some interesting television programmes. Commercials
shown on television also influence the children and they pursue their parents to buy
items, particularly advertised on television. Similarly, the negative effects of foreign
transmission and serials and programmes based on foreign theme on the family as a
whole are reported which are promoting materialism and obscenity. The television
programmes are also promoting a culture of antithetical to women. Besides television
programmes are promoting the western culture with exposure of action and violent
behaviour.

Television was first introduced in India in 1959 with almost all broadcasting in the
hands of the state. The entry of private and foreign broadcasters in the early 1990s
transformed the Indian television industry from a government- owned single network
to a multi-channel industry and significantly increased the amount of choice of
programming for the Indian audience (Ranganathan and Rodrigues, 2010). The
program offerings on cable television differed greatly from government programming
which had primarily focused on news or information about national development.
Many new soap operas were introduced in the early 2000s which revolved around
themes of family and

12
gender, and had a woman protagonist who made a mark in male-dominated society
without giving up her traditional Indian values. The new Indian woman was depicted as
an independent and assertive woman, a successful wife and mother, who often had a
career or worked outside the home, and led a lifestyle that was significantly different
from existing rural lifestyles.

These soap operas were an instant success and attracted very high viewershipall over
India (Munshi, 2010). Radio broadcasting began in India in 1927 under the British rule.
The public radio broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR), was established in 1936 to “inform,
educate and entertain the masses”, and today it has a network of 237 broadcasting
centers, covering 27 languages and reaching 99% of the Indian population.2 Great
efforts have been taken to use radio as a medium for social change, such as state-
supported radio rural forums for agricultural communication and promotion of adult
literacy (Neurath, 1962). Besides AIR, the other popular radio channels are privately
owned Frequency Modulation (FM) radio channels. A large number of the currently
most popular radio stations were launched in the early 2000s, marking a dramatic
change in the popularity of radio as a medium of development and entertainment. FM
Radio programs are primarily entertainment-based, but they also play a role in
supporting local businesses by advertising them, and are important sources of local
information. For instance, during floods in Mumbai in 2005, FM radio stations played a
vital role in providing information to citizens stuck on the roads (Ranganathan and
Rodrigues, 2010).

Several anthropological studies show that television and radio have had a wide
impact on Indian society, particularly in rural areas where they seem to be the
primary source of information about the outside world. An ethnography of Indian
villages by Johnson (2000) finds that television has contributed to a spirit of
consumerism, restructured traditional age and gender relations, and influenced the
political landscape in these villages. Studies have also found that radio forums have
been effective in introducing agricultural and health innovations, transmitting
knowledge about health and sanitation, and initiatingthe formation of informal village
parliaments in rural India (Roy et al, 1969; Kivlin, 1968; Neurath, 1962). The impact of
these media may be particularly salient in the case of norms about women and their
gendered roles because this is an area in which the lives of rural viewers differ greatly
from those depicted on popular shows. Johnson (2001) observes that in certain Indian
villages after the introduction of television, men in homes with television sets

13
tended to help their wives with more household chores than those without television
sets. Another study by Scrase (2002) finds that several of his respondents thought
television might lead women to question their social position and help the cause of
female advancement. These observations are, however, based mostly on interviews
and anecdotal evidence. Thus, it is useful to study empirically what impact greater
access to television and radio has had on norms about gender in India, particularly
after the changes that occurred in the content of television and radio programs in the
early 2000s.

Mass media is a tremendous source of information for individuals as well as society. In

the previous section, you have learnt about the role of mass media in a democracy.
Let us now see how the media perform their functions to bringabout changes.

 Mass Media Can Help in Change Using mass media;-

People’s attitudes and habits can be changed. For example, all of us have mistaken or
wrong notions about various diseases like leprosy or HIV/AIDS. Many of us think that
by touching people suffering from these diseases we would be infected. You might
have heard on radio or watched television programmers or read messages which tell
us that by touching an HIV/AIDS patient we do not get infected. Similarly, for
eradicating polio there are special programmers and messages disseminated through
the media. They informpeople about the need for giving polio drops to children and
about the day that is declared a ‘polio day.’ Special arrangements are made to give
polio drops to as many children as possible on polio day. Change would also mean
things for the better. The concept of development of a country is again a matter of
change, when old practices and equipment are changed and new, better and more
efficient means are being used. The mass media play an important role in
communicating this change. By giving the necessary information, and sometimes skills,
the media can help bring about this change. You may ask how media can impart skills.
A mass media like television can demonstrate and show how things work. You would
have seen on television how a certain dish is cooked using modern kitchen equipment.

 Mass Media have made the World Smaller and Closer;-

The speed of media has resulted in bringing people across the world closer. Let us
take an example. When you watch a cricket match between India and

14
another country in England, Australia or New Zealand, live on televisions, you feel you
are part of the crowd in that stadium. Events, happy or sad, happeninganywhere can
be seen live. Sometimes we feel that the entire world is one big family. You might have
heard the term “global village”. It means that the whole world is shrinking and
becoming a village. Wherever we go to any part of the world, we see the same
products such as soft drinks, television, washing machine, refrigerator etc. and the
same type of advertisements. Similarly, the World Wide Web (WWW) and internet
have brought people and countries much closer.

 Mass Media Promotes Distribution of Goods;-

Mass media are used by the consumer industry to inform people about their products
and services through advertising. Without advertising, the public will not know about
various products (ranging from soup to oil, television sets to cars) and services
(banking, insurance, hospitals etc.) which are available in the market as well as their
prices. Thus mass media help the industries and consumers.

15
 SOCIAL MEDIA;-

"The Power of Social Media is that, it forces Necessary Change." Social media
are computer mediated technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of
information and ideas via virtual communities and networks. Users typically access
social media service via web-based technologies on their personal computers or smart-
phones. Media has the power to influence individual beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors.
Thus, social norms that influence and encourage gender violence have been targeted
by policy interventions using mass media communication. Prior research suggests that
media influences through two effects: the individual or direct effect (private) or the
social or indirect effect (public). In the individual effect, media information about new
norms may persuade individuals to accept them. In the social effect, the information
creates common knowledge of a norm and enhances social coordination as individuals
more readily accept the information if they believe others have also accepted it. This
study examined whether media’s social mechanism has a stronger impact than its
individual mechanism onchanging violent attitudes against women.

Users can create highly interactive platforms through which individuals, communities
and organizers can share, co-create, discuss and modify content posted online. It
changes the way individuals and large organizations communicate. Its outlet operates
in a dialogic transmission method, i.e.; many sources to many receivers, in context to
the traditional media which operates under a monologic transmission method, i.e.;
one source to many receivers. Some of the most popular social media websites are
Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. In the recent years, social media has played
a pivotal role in knitting the fabric of the Indian society.

Social media platforms provided Indians with a platform to raise their voice against
injustice and inequality. People from the underprivileged society have always been
suppressed by the upper class. Such oppressed people are now taking up their cases to
social media to let the world know of the adversities done to them. A few decades ago,
if a farmer died due to non-repayment of loans, only the family mourned for the loss.
But today, if the same happens,

16
the entire nation seems to empathize with the death of such farmers; NGOstoo get
an impetus with the rising awareness of the concerns.

Social media is not only confined to the common man but also the politicians. It plays a
huge role in creating good image of the politicians and influences the public to great
extent. It's the real game changer with leaders having million fans on Twitter and
supporters on Facebook and Google+. Former American president, Mr. Barack Obama
and former Australian PM, Mrs. Julia Gillard hosted political conferences on Google+
hangouts and this trend was later followed by our Honorable PM, Mr. Narendra Modi
when he was the Chief- Minister of Gujarat. Even now, PM Modi is one of the most
popular and influential politician active on social media. Even Anna Hazzare's social
media campaign against Corruption in India was a huge success.
Role of social media in business and consumer market in India cannot beundermined.
Social media is used by various brands to build communities for interaction and
spreading awareness about their services. Every organization, be it big or small, has an
online presence on various social media platforms. It also provides useful information
about the behavior of customer to the organization on regular basis.

However like every good thing, it has a flip side as well. Yes, social media has various
negative impacts like privacy issues, information overloads and internet fraud. Though
various social networking sites have come up "Privacy Setting" facilities, yet we see
many cases of privacy invasion and leakage of personal information. Individual have
thousands friends on their "friend list" but none in real that one can count upon. Thus
people end up being lonely in the real world. Researchers have found that hyper-
networking leads to negative health behavior leading to laziness, obesity, depression,
drug abuse, isolation or in the worst cases it may even lead to suicide.

There are times when companies face a scenario where disgruntled employees speak
their minds defaming the company's good name. Social media platforms have also
been famous for defaming and negatively portraying brands, companies, celebrities as
well as members of general public.

17
Social media has made the world a small space by allowing mass cultural exchange and
intercultural communication. Such cultural mergers have provedto be ruinous for the
Indian society. India being a secular country is a home for the people of various
religious and cultural beliefs. When these beliefs clash the consequences are
unpleasant. A mere comment or opinion on a certain belief on social media spreads
like fire leading to ugly riots and destructive rallies. Thus creating disturbance in life of
common man.

Social media and use of social networking sites is a trend that almost every Indian
follows. Social media helps to improve an individual's sense of connectedness with the
real or online communities. It is an effective marketing tool for corporations,
entrepreneurs, NGOs, etc. At the same time, concern have been raised about possible
links between its heavy usage and its ill effects on health issues or cyber bullying,
online harassment and trolling. Just as everything has some good and bad side so is
social media. Its impact on Indian society totally depends on how and why we Indians
use it.

Social Media is media for social interaction as a super-set beyond social

communication. Social Media has brought individuals separated by geography and
ideology to a common virtual platform. Online Social Networking Sites are among the
most popular services these days where benefit of information is mutual. Users
interact through various features of social networking sites making relationships, new
friends, knowledge sharing, video sharing etc. Thus these features become the key in
product buying decisions, Online shopping etc. SNS are serving good medium to
connect students, and emails are considered important for communication, students
view advertisements onlineand with the help of SNS online marketing gets influenced.
The super-set of Social Media comprises of Social networking sites, Educational
material sharing Content sharing sites, User-sponsored blogs, Company sponsored
websites, Business networking sites, Collaborative websites, , Social bookmarking and
much more. It includes Internet forums, weblogs, social blogs, micro blogging, wikis,
podcasts, photographs or pictures, video, rating and social bookmarking.

Social Media in India Internet is still propagating in the roots of the Indian society.
People are now becoming more aware of Internet and its benefits. Internet usage has
now matured from the basic emails and search to upscale activities like e-ticketing,
online banking, e-retailing and the ubiquitous Social

18
Media. Social Media is really picking up new heights in India. With more peoplejoining
the social networks like Face book & Twitter, brands are finding it easy to spread the
word about them over the web as consumers find it easy connecting with each other
by using these sites. The trend is flourishing as many companies are coming big way for
Social Media Optimization for their Product or Services with an objective of increased
awareness about the company and the brand, lead generation and increase in loyal
customers. Not only corporate, political parties are involving social networking sites to
influence voters, as was done in 2009 elections.

Statistics from Social Network Industry in India show that - 60% of the social
networking traffic comes from Non Metro-Cities but the highest traffic generating city
still remains to be Mumbai. While, the highest number of activeusers are from the 15-
24 age group but LinkedIn has a different age group of active users i.e. 25-34 age-
group. Hence, usage as per age varies according to the networking site in question.
Also, 80:20 ratio has been observed for gender differences while frequenting Social
Networking sites in favor of males. While, Face book cater to about 90 per cent of the
users in the social media space; maximum users come from the less than 2 lakhs p.a.’
income category. This is because social networks are primarily driven by the youth.

19
 MEDIA ETHICS;-

We have seen how powerful the mass media are. By their very nature media and the
media people meaning journalists of the print media, radio and television are quite
powerful. So politicians, bureaucrats and the police look at them with apprehension.
Generally they do not want to be in the media if the reports are not in their favour. If
the media people praise them, they are happy. So by and large people try to be
friendly with the media. But for the media this power comes with tremendous
responsibility. If they misuse that power to do wrong things or trouble others, people
will stop trusting them.
Like in any other profession, like law or medicine, the media also need to havea code
of ethics or guidelines on what is right or wrong. In the case of lawyers and doctors,
there are clear codes of ethics, and anyone who violates the codecan be punished, or
removed from the profession. But in the case of the mass media there are only a few
guidelines and no strict code of conduct. The Press Council of India is one of the
organizations which issues guidelines on media ethics. To keep the fair name of the
profession, the media practitioners need to follow certain ethical codes which are
listed below:

a) Accuracy: The information provided by media persons in the print media, radio,
television and internet has to be accurate. If incorrect or baseless information is given,
it can harm the interests of individuals, institutions and the country. For being
accurate, media persons have to verify the correctness of their facts. For example, if
only 50 people have died in an accident, the media cannot give out the figure as 200 or
500. If a media person writes against anybody or accuses someone of dishonesty, that
person should be given an opportunity to give his or her version of the story.

b) Confidentiality: A media person maintains confidentiality of information

revealed by various sources.

c) Protection of sources: A source which has provided confidential information

should never be revealed. For example if a government official provides information
pertaining to his department, media person should not reveal the name of the person
in order to protect him from any harm.

d) Right to privacy: A journalist should respect the right of a person to have

privacy. That would mean that a journalist should not write about the private

20
life of ordinary citizens.

e) No incitement to violence: Mass media should not motivate or provoke people

to indulge in violence or crime. Glorifying violence in writings shouldalso be avoided.

f) No vulgarity or obscenity: Mass Media should not write, display or broadcast

anything that is vulgar or obscene.

g) No Communal writing: India is a country where people follow diverse faithsand

religions. Our Constitution believes in secularism, which means respect for all faiths
and religions. It is easy for the media to create problems between sections with
different faiths and religions by writing about them or broadcasting issues which can
promote communal problems. There have been several occasions when communal
riots and killings have taken place based on media reports. The media has to ensure
that it works in the interest of the public.

Radio, newspapers, television, Internet, social media, etc., all of these are forms of
mass media. Each of these outlets has the capability of bringing information to
thousands of people with one device. While in some communities it is easy to take
advantage of these communication outlets suchas television and Internet access, not
everyone has access to such outlets.
Radio is one of the most common forms of mass media in developing countries
because it’s affordable and uses less electricity than many otherforms of mass media,
but only approximately 75 percent of people in
developing countries have access to a radio, and roughly 77 percent of peoplein rural
areas have access to electricity.
For developing countries that have implemented forms of mass media in their
communities, there have been numerous positive outcomes.

Top 5 positive impacts of mass media in developing countries ( As India isamong of the
Developing Nations )

1. Brings people together- With implementing mass media in societies in Tunisia and
Egypt, citizens were able to reach out to each other through

21
social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and create, organizeand initiate
street protests and campaigns. Furthermore, having access to social media in
developing countries, people are able to connect to those that they usually wouldn’t
have the chance to talk to.

2. Provides educational opportunities- In many countries, the division between local

and national languages as well as issues of literacy can makecommunication difficult.
With the use of mass media, a bridge can be built between these two gaps. In India,
there is a radio station that provides information in local languages and respects local
culture and traditions.

3. Watchdog for the public interest- Media is the watchdog for public interest in
many ways. One of the main ways is to create public awareness of what is going on
with businesses and government officials. The media plays an important role in giving
people the opportunity to act against injustice, oppression and misdeeds that they
otherwise wouldn’t know about.

4. Information on available healthcare- In Burkina Faso, a mass radio broadcast was

sent out encouraging parents to seek treatment at local healthcare facilities for their
sick children. With this mass outreach on healthcare, the encouragement of people to
take their children to healthcare facilities saved thousands of lives. This easy way of
encouragingothers and bringing awareness about certain diseases was made possible
through a simple radio broadcast.

5. Brings social issues to life- Similar to “watchdogging”, media brings many social
issues to life that otherwise would remain unknown to many people. In developing
countries and communities like Burkina Faso, when the radio broadcast was released
about malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia, people were educated and moved to action
and knew to taketheir children to healthcare facilities for preventative care.

As it is seen, having access to different media outlets is vital for those in developing
countries. Here are three ways that those in developing countries can implement mass
media to help their people and communities.

22
1. Provide radios or newspapers in public places- By providing radios andnewspapers
in public areas it gives community members to access news, information and
emergency warnings. Even though radios can be on the cheaper side, there are still
many people that can’t afford to have a radio in their home. By providing one in a local
place, not only would it better educate the community members but also it will bring
the community together.

2. Have the community involved in sharing the news- When making individual
communities responsible for providing their own news it not only makes them
independent and proud of the work that they are puttingout but it also has a positive
effect on local economies. The media can provide many jobs that otherwise wouldn’t
have been there.

3. Make media outlets a two-way platform- Creating a two-way platformbetween the

community and those who are behind the radio stations, newspapers or broadcasts
makes the community feels involved and that their voices are being heard. An
organization called Soul City in sub- Saharan Africa is showing how well two-way
platforms work by engaging their listeners and having them contribute thoughts and
ideas about complex issues.
Whether through radio or cell phones, forms of mass media are constantlybeing used
to inform, educate and strengthen people all over the world whether they be in urban
or rural communities.

23
 CHAPTER-3
ACTION TOWARDS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE;-

Communication is extremely important for women’s development and mass media

play significant role. It is to be noted that growth of women’s education and their
entries into employment have contributed to the growth of media. Inall spheres of life
whether for controlling population growth, spread of literacy or improving quality of
life for vast masses, women have crucial role to play.
However, women can be expected to play this role when they become conscious of
their strength and are not deliberately marginalized by male domination. In this
context, media has an important role to play – to create awakening in women to
achieve their potential as the prime movers of changein society. In today’s world, print
and electronic media play a vital role in effectively conveying message that needs to be
conveyed.

Greater access to media may influence norms about domestic violence. It maylead to
greater acceptance of violence due to an increase in the incidence of violence or to
lower acceptance due to a change in gender norms. Applying a difference-in-
differences methodology to the National Family Health Survey, India (1998-99 and
2005-06), we find evidence that regularly accessing television and radio leads to a
small but statistically significant reduction in the probability of women accepting
domestic violence. The effect of regularly accessing both media is equivalent to the
effect of three additional years of education on reducing acceptability of domestic
violence. This suggests that increasing access to both media may lead to greater
empowerment of women in India.

Governments and organizations around the world employ media messagingto effect
behavioural and attitudinal change. In Uganda, researchers evaluated whether videos
encouraging communities to speak out about and counter violence against women
(VAW) in the household could change behavior, attitudes and norms related to VAW.
In surveys conducted eight months after the intervention, the proportion of women
who reported any VAW in their household over the preceding six months was
substantially lower in villages where the videos were screened relative to villages in
the randomly assigned comparison group. The impact appears to be driven by a
reduction in the perception that those who speak out against violence will face social
sanctions.

24
The results suggest education-entertainment has the potential to markedly reduce the
incidence of VAW in an enduring and scalable manner.

Violence against women (VAW) in the household, including physical, sexual and
emotional abuse by an intimate partner, is a widespread problem estimated to touch
the lives of 30 percent of women globally.1 In developing countries, those with the
ability to intervene and stop violence – such as police or, more commonly, local-level
authorities – are often inhibited from doing so due to a lack of information. The private
nature of VAW coupled with reticence on behalf of witnesses make it difficult for
would-be interveners to detect and address incidents of VAW where they occur. Mass
media may constitute one way to address VAW in contexts faced with such difficulties,
either by decreasing the social acceptability of behaviors related to domestic violence
and gender discrimination, or by increasing the willingness of victims and bystanders
to come forward and report cases of violence. Despite the widespread use of such
messaging campaigns, however, there is little evidenceof their effectiveness.

A study by a television research agency finds that the channels provided by the public
service broadcaster Doordarshan attracted a large number of viewers and higher
channel share than cable broadcasters in 2009 (Sinha, 2009). Another medium that is
extremely popular in India is the radio, with this reach of the radio is comparable to
that of the press and private television channels. While the primary focus of most
television and radio programs is entertainment, radio has emerged as a vital source of
local information in contrast to television. The content of television and radio
programs may have acomplementary effect on attitudes towards gender and domestic
violence. For instance, information about local employment or political opportunities
for women, or stories about empowered women on local radio channels may reinforce
the influence of seeing empowered and independent women on television.

Using all-India, household-level data from two rounds of the National Family Health
Survey of India conducted in 1998-99 and 2005-06, I find no significant impact of
switching into either only watching television or only listening to radio in the second
period on women’s acceptance of domestic violence. However, the impact of
television when a woman starts accessing both media regularly in the second period is
associated with a 3.9% reduced probability of accepting violence, indicating a
complementary effect of watching television

25
and listening to radio on reducing women’s acceptance of violence. Radio broadcasting
began in India in 1927 under the British rule. The public radio broadcaster, All India
Radio (AIR), was established in 1936 to “inform, educate and entertain the masses”,
and today it has a network of 237 broadcasting centers, covering 27 languages and
reaching 99% of the Indian population.
Radio broadcasting began in India in 1927 under the British rule. The public radio
broadcaster, All India Radio (AIR), was established in 1936 to “inform, educate and
entertain the masses”, and today it has a network of 237 broadcasting centers,
covering 27 languages and reaching 99% of the Indian population. Several
anthropological studies show that television and radio have had a wide impact on
Indian society.

26
 PORTYAL OF WOMEN BY THE MEDIA;-

By and large the media scene in India is that media does not address serious issues
about exploitation and in equal treatment to women in different spheres but is keen in
reporting sex related incidents by way of sensationalizing news of atrocities on
women. Thus instead of highlighting the exploitation of woman they end up becoming
one of the reasons in increase ofviolence as their coverage more often than not tend
to glorify the crime against women. It is true that media has brought to light, as never
before, certain misdemeanors against women but in a very subtle manner it also
perpetuated the stereotyped image of woman as a householder and an
inconsequential entity in the traditional value system. Generally, women’s problems
never figure on the front page of a newspaper unless it is a gruesomemurder or a case
of rape. Newspapers even on women’s page does not usually address relevant issues
for women empowerment but reporting is concerned with beauty tips recipes, fashion
syndrome etc.

It is unfortunate that there is lack of sensitivity among the newspapers in general to

women and their problems. I would like to refer to the Study conducted by the Media
Advocacy Group viz. “Violence against Women: Media Coverage and Representation”.
The Media Advocacy Group made the following recommendations on reporting
violence against the women.

(i) Media needs to take an extended, broader view of crimes against women. Ithas to
be instrumental in conducting a social audit on factors responsible for increasing
crimes, particularly against women and children, including indifferent investigative
procedures, miscarriage of justice, and growing social impunity of the perpetrators of
crime.

(ii) It also has to be instrumental in creating an awareness among civil society of the
causes and nature of the crime itself, and of the preventive measures.

(iii) When treating these issues, media has to be extremely factual and empirical. The
study also stated that the only regulation that governs a sensitive reporting on this
issue is that the rape victim’s name should not be disclosed. Barring this, the study
found that everything else is graphically
reported. Often the victim’s family name and address is cited, making a
mockery in the letter and spirit of the regulation. Though much of this violation

27
and malpractice are committed by a small group of publications, others are spurred on
to imitate and keep pace with the sensational trend. Therefore, I urge the media to
take a serious look on the issue and do self-regulation and self-monitoring with
extreme care and caution.

Media, which wields immense power in a democracy - a power which is onlyexpanding

and not diminishing, needs carrying out a focused attention about women- related
issues and the portrayal of women.

DUTY OF THE MEDIA;-

Media should bring women issues to public domain in a forceful manner. They can play
an important role in spreading awareness. They can provide a platform to speakers
and panelists from different ends, eminent personalities responsible for decision-
making to share their views and conduct an in-depth study on various gender issues,
and view it holistically touching various aspectsof the problem. Views of some of the
victims of atrocities should also be taken to understand their unpleasant experiences
and the manner in which they came over the agonies they suffered because of
inhuman acts.

At family's level;-

Family is the rest and foremost institution, where children learn rest lesson ofhumanity
and social relationships. Family is the best place to inculcate positive values – like
honesty, simplicity, modesty, sense of responsibility and respect for elders – amongst
children and youth of both the sexes. ·Childhood is the most formative, educative and
impressionable time in a human's life and mostappropriate time for inculcation of such
values, as it remains permanently and rmly embedded in their delicate psyche
throughout their life. Training for gender sensitization should be imparted within the
family. Right from the beginning, all the children should be treated equally, without
any gender-bias.

On women' part;-

Instead of silently bearing all the atrocities perpetrated against them, women should
raise their voice against injustice; create awareness amongst women about their rights
and channelize their efforts by writing articles, organizing seminars, workshops etc. ·
Irrespective of their social status in society, they should join hands, and work in a spirit
of unity. They should raise their voice

28
boldly against social evils like dowry, bride-burning, female infanticide, etc. Women
should exercise utmost vigilance both at the mental and physical level to ensure their
safety and security, so that no one could exploit them when placed under adverse
circumstances in life. They must always be prepared for self- defense by getting
training in Karate etc.

29
 ROLE OF SOCIAL WORKERS;-

Social workers should provide myriad services to victims and perpetrators of domestic
violence. Direct services to victims of domestic violence include counseling and
support through shelter programs across the country, individual counseling through
private practice settings, court advocacy through county victim service agencies, and
social justice community organizing efforts to prevent domestic violence from
occurring in the rest place.

Direct Service Providers (Women's Advocate, Shelter Program);-

Social workers should provide services to victims of domestic violence through shelter
programs across the country. The context in which services are provided is
empowerment and advocacy oriented.

Community Education Coordinator;-

Many shelters across the country have a Community Education Coordinatoron staff
who may be a social worker. This person should be accountable for managing all types
of community education from professional development and training to providing
speakers for civic or social groups. Social workers should provide therapy to victims of
domestic violence while they are in a shelter or living in their community. Social
workers should also serve as executive directors of domestic violence organizations

30
 FIGHTING THE 'DOMESTIC VIOLENCE' EVIL;-
Intervention and action at multiple levels;-

Efforts done so far on gender issue defy basic and simple solutions. Elimination of all
kinds of violence against women requires channelizing simultaneously the attention
and efforts of all the concerned people and work together. This sensitive issue needs
intervention and action at multiple levels – state, society and individuals in public and
private capacities.

At government level;-

Amongst immediate steps, the most important task of government is to arrest

continuously deteriorating law and order situation. There should be vigilant policing
round the clock both in cities and suburban areas and more women police officers in
all police stations. Speedy and time-bound justice is needed urgently. Delayed justice
emboldens the spirits of criminal-minded elements in society, who take advantage of
loopholes in law, and which enables them to escape. Many culprits go off scot-free
even after committing a heinous crime. Reforming the structure and systems of
governmental institutions engaged in the law-making and enforcement tasks are highly
desirable, but it may take a longer time.

Role of Non-Governmental Institutions/Organizations;-

Non-governmental organizations and institutions should conduct series of seminars,

workshops meetings at different places on various aspects of violence/oppression
against women. They should discuss in depth the gravity, enormity and dangers of
continuously deteriorating law and order position, deteriorating human values, self-
centered attitude of individuals and alarmingrise in bestial acts against women, which
makes it very unsafe for women to move freely outside their homes and try to find out
remedy for it.

31
 CHAPTER-4
PUNISHMENT SET-UP FOR DOMESTIC VIOLANCE;-

Punishments or the laws are set-up by the Indian judiciary to help the women to get
their rights. Through the help of mass media it can reach to the maximum level to the
urban and rural side of the different parts of the India.
From the data that was available on assistance given, Special Cell workers wereable to
provide police help for women in over 1/4 of the cases. Police help ranged from
writing up non-cognizable offenses to registering criminal cases against the offending
husband to retrieval of assets and enforcement of court orders. The data on retrieval
of personal assets received at the time of marriage (streedhan) indicates also that
women seek outside help to assist in the struggle for control over assets when they
want to opt out of marriage.
Section 498A, a criminal law against violence within marriage. Since 498A is a crime
against the state, the police are expected to undertake a thorough inquiry into these
charges whenever they are brought.

This process requires proofs, documentary evidence, witnesses, and other supporting
evidence before the police can arrive at the conclusion that a crime has been
committed. However, evidence from the Special Cell indicates that when section 498A
is coupled with law sections that deal with murder (Section 302), and abatement to
suicide (Section 306), invariably the focus of the police investigation is on attempt to
murder or homicide, and not on proving the presence of domestic violence. Most
women named the husband as the main perpetrator of violence. However, field
experience reveals that often women are battered in an environment where other
family members actively encourage or tacitly consent to this abuse.

Women accused the husband in 2/3 of all cases, whereas the mother-in-law was
named as a collaborator in nearly 1/3 of all cases. The mental trauma and agony of
psychological abuse also emerged as a pervasive issue through the Special Cell’s
recordings. Women reported several forms of abuse and their perceptions of what
constitutes mental and physical abuse are very fluid and undifferentiated. Yet mental
violence is consistently reported and remains veryalive in the minds of women. In fact,
women place many forms of physical abuse as being far more mentally disturbing than
physically painful.

 Penalty for giving or taking of dowry. (Section 3, The Dowry Prohibition

32
Act, 1961).

(1) If any person, after the commencement of this Act, gives or takes or abets the
giving or taking of dowry, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which
shall not be less than five years, and with the fine which shall not be less than fifteen
thousand rupees or the amount of the value of such dowry,whichever is more:
Provided that the Court may, for adequate and special reasons to be recorded in the
judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than five years.
(2) Nothing in sub-section (1) shall apply to or, in relation to,-
Presents which are given at the time of a marriage to the bride (without anydemand
having been made in that behalf.
Provided that such presents are entered in list maintained in accordance with rule
made under this Act;
Presents which are given at the time of marriage to the bridegroom (without any
demand having been made in that behalf.
Provided that such presents are entered in a list maintained in accordance with rules
made under this Act;
Provided further that where such presents are made by or on behalf of the bride or
any person related to the bride, such presents are of a customary nature and the value
thereof is not excessive having regard to the financial status of the person by whom, or
on whose behalf, such presents are given.

 Penalty for demanding dowry. (Section 4, The Dowry Prohibition Act,1961).

If any person demands directly or indirectly, from the parents or other relatives or
guardian of a bride or bridegroom as the case may be, any dowry, he shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but
which may extend to two years and with fine which may extend to ten thousand
rupees:
Provided that the Court may, for adequate and special reasons to be mentioned in the
judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term ofless than six months.

 Ban on advertisement. (Section 4A, The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961).

If any person-

33
(a) Offers, through any advertisement in any newspaper, periodical, journal orthrough
any other media any share in his property or of any money or both as a share in any
business or other interest as consideration for the marriage of his son or daughter or
any other relative,
(b) Prints or publishes or circulates any advertisement referred to Cl.(a), he shall be
punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months, but
which may extend to five years, or with fine which may extend to fifteen thousand
rupees:
Provided that the Court may, for adequate and special reasons to be recorded in the
judgment, impose a sentence of imprisonment for a term of less than sixmonths.

 Dowry Death. (Section 304B, The Indian Penal Code 1860 ).

(1) Where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs
otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it
is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her
husband or any relative of her husband for, or in connection with any demand for
dowry, such death shall be called “dowry
death”, and such husband or relative shall be deemed to have caused her
death.
(2) Whoever commits dowry death shall be punished with imprisonment for a term
which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for
life.

 Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty. (Section

498A, The Indian Penal Code 1860 ).

Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such
woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for aterm which may extend to
three years and shall also be liable to fine.

Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act, 2005;

Section- 3; of the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 says that what comprises Domestic
Violence as indicated by which Domestic Violence will include: -
(a) Threats to Life, Health & Safety etc., whether Physical or Mental, incorporating
Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Verbal and Emotional Abuse and Economic Abuse, or

34
(b) Harassment through any forms such as injuries, harms to the aggrieved person by
coercing her or any other person related to any unlawful demand for dowry or other
property or valuable security; or
(c) Otherwise injuring or causing harm, through Mental or Physical means to the
Aggrieved Person.

This is an act of the Indian Parliament enacted to protect women from Domestic
Violence. It prohibits a wide range of Physical, Sexual, Emotional & Economical abuse
against women and all these are broadly defined under the Act. It provides security to
women in a family from men in a family. The extent of the Act covers not only the
protection of women who are married to men but also women who are in Live-in-
relationship, just as family members including Grandmothers, Mothers, etc. A women
has right to be liberated from any type of violence under this Act. Under this law,
women can look for security against Domestic Violence, Financial Compensation, Right
to live in their mutual house and they can get maintenance from their abuser in case
they are living separated.
This law is to guarantee that women don’t get kicked out of their own house and can
support themselves if they have been abused. It also ensure theprotection of women
from their abusers.

Section 498A of the IPC (Indian Penal Code)

This is a Criminal Law, which applies to husbands or family members of husband who
are merciless to women. Under Section 498A of the IPC, harassment for Dowry
by the family members of the husband or by husband is recognized as a Crime. This
harassment can be of any type either Physical or Mental. Despite the fact that Marital
Rape isn’t considered as a Crime in India, forced sex with one’s wife can be viewed as
Cruelty under this Section. Section 498A has a vast scope. It also includes any and all
intentional behaviours against a women which force the women to attempt suicide or
risk to life or grave injury or risk to limb or overall health. Here, health incorporatesthe
physical and mental health of the women.

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THE PROTECTION OF WOMEN FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RULES, 2005;

The Act empowers the Central government to make rules for carrying out the
provisions of the Act. In exercise of this power the Central government has issued the
Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Rules 2005 relating to the following
matters:

1. the qualifications and experience to be possessed by a Protection Officer and the

terms and conditions of his service;
2. the form and manner in which a domestic incident report may be made;
3. the form and the manner in which an application for Protection Order may be
made to the Magistrate;
4. the form in which an application for legal aid and services shall be made;
5. the other duties to be performed by the Protection Officer;
6. the rules regulating registration of Service Providers;
7. the means of serving notices;
8. the rules regarding counseling and procedure to be followed by a Counselor;
9. the rules regarding shelter and medical assistance to the aggrieved person;
10. the rules regarding breach of Protection Orders.

PUNISHMENT;-

1. For Respondent: The breach of Protection Order or interim protection order bythe
Respondent is a cognizable and non-bailable offence. It is punishable with
imprisonment for a term, which may extend to one year or with fine, which may
extend to twenty thousand rupees or with both. He can also be tried for offences
under the Indian Penal Code and the Dowry Prohibition Act.

2. For Protection Officer: If he fails or does not discharge his duties as directed bythe
Magistrate without any sufficient cause, he will be liable for having committed an
offence under the Act with similar punishment. However, he cannot be penalized
without the prior sanction of the state government. Moreover, the law protects him
for all actions taken by him in good faith.

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 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
In this context of the research there are many questions that arising;
1. Can the cases of domestic violence totally emitted?
2. Can we create equal rights of work wage for women?
3. Why we are still demanding for dowry?
4. If we enforce a strict law for domestic violence the negative impact?

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 CONCLUSION

Domestic violence is not only visible but it is a part and parcel of life of womenin India.
Violence starts with her from the day her mother conceives her existence in the womb
and since then in every phase of her life span she has to fight for her survival in this
rude society. Most of the women in our country areilliterate and they are not aware of
the basic law provision and also about theirrights, due to which most of the time they
do not register the cases against those person who violate their rights and commit
crimes against them. Lack of awareness about the law and rights guaranteed under
that legislation for thembut most serious problem is that the women’s are not aware
about their rights which are due to traditional customs. Victims are unable to get the
legal remedies which are guaranteed by the government for the protection of women.
In our society which is said to be tradition bound and a male dominated, women are
still treated as secondary sex which makes her to sufferthe violence silently. The fact in
India women is made to suffer human right abuses in a gender specific way. She is
often ignored and underestimated.

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005 ispassed
by the Parliament in response to worldwide demand for such legislation and also the
outcomes of the continuous efforts of Women Organizations working for women. The
Act gives right and Protection to the women’s. The remedies available to the victim
prior to the PWDVA 2005 were in the form of punishment of the offender under IPC,
the civil remedy of divorce and maintenance were not giving her ultimate relief, the
remedies which were available that were related to matrimonial proceeding and also
according with court proceeding. The statutory provision and constitutional provision
were available to women but these provisions were insufficient and the most
important problem about it was lack of awareness about their rights which
constitution provide for the protection of women. Domestic Violence goes beyond the
boundaries of race, caste, religion, and class. In 2013 according to the Global Review
Data, 35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual intimate
partner violence or non- partner sexual violence. However, some National Violence
studies show thatup to 70% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence in
their lifetime from an intimate partner.

Limited coverage in Media Newspapers cover women’s problems drawing the

38
attention of policymakers to issues requiring immediate attention such as the adverse
sex ratio, infant and maternal mortality, crime against women and the effects of
poverty on women and their families. But this coverage is very limited with the rest of
the space occupied by cinema actresses, models, video jockeys (veejays) and the rich
women and their hobbies. Many of the women’s magazines are devoted to fashion,
glamour, beauty aids, weight reduction, cookery and how to sharpen ‘feminine
instincts’ to keep men and their in-lawshappy. There are comparatively fewer articles
on career opportunities, health awareness, and entrepreneurship, legal aid, counseling
services, childcare 9 services and financial management.

A study in this regard was conducted in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal,

Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Two regional newspapers and two English
newspapers were selected for the study. Prominent newspapers only publish 5% of
women related issues and 8% are published on main page and remaining are placed
inside.

Study showed no importance is given to development issues of women. In the

television serials women are the central characters, but they are portrayed largely as
tormentors or the victims while the men very often take sideline andjust seem caught
in a web of unfavorable circumstances. Television culture has portrayed a breed of
weak, indecisive men ensnared by sexy women when in reality men also play an active
role in oppressing women in various ways including subjecting them to physical
assault, rape, pushing them into the sex trade and even abandoning them. It is only
desirable that serials should be close to reality and give message to the viewers where
and how the society is going wrong. This portrayal of women in media has led the
National Commission for Women to recommend amendment in the Indecent
Representation of Women (Prohibition Act), 1986. The NCW wants to include new
technologies like MMS and the electronic media and some which were left outside the
ambit of the Act like posters and TV serials which perpetuate stereotypes of women.

A significant number of women journalists are very successful in magazines

dealing with various problems of women and child. With sensitivity and skill for
analyzing events in depth, issues such as women abuse and exploitation, harassment
of women at workplace and the trauma of HIV infected women, female infanticide in
rural areas find a prominent place in such magazines. The magazines deal with the
issues more in depth compared to newspapers and

39
women are considered competent to handle such stories. As per a study in the NCR
there are around 900 women journalists and even in cities like Chennai the number is
impressive 200. Journalism is no more a male domain. This new trend has also led to a
change in the portrayal of women in the media in general and newspaper in particular.
It will not be out of context to mention
here the success of ‘Khabar Lahariya’. A group of eight women belonging to backward
class bring out this paper from the Bundelkhand region. This paper which is being
funded by an NGO was started with an aim to encourage women to fight for their own
rights. such kind of initiative are required in everynook and corner of our country, so as
to empower the women at grass root level.

1. The women’s issue one of the utmost significance to the country as a whole and
there is need for a widespread understanding that the nationcannot progress, as long
as women are left behind as the lesser half of society. Therefore, the improvement of
women’s conditions, status and image must be defined to be a major objective for
media channels.

2. The Government must at the earliest formulate clear guidelines regarding the
positive portrayal of women on television. This portrayal must take note of women in
all facts of their lives: as workers and significant contributions to family survival and
the national economy: it must further endeavor to integrate women on terms of
equality in all sectors of national life and the development process. These guidelines
must emphasis that the “women’s dimension” must from an integral part of all
programs and not be merely confined to Women’s Programs,nor to isolated attempts
to discuss women’s issues.

3. The number of commercial formula films screened must be drastically

reduced, the cheap song-and-dance sequence totally eliminated and the content of
such programmes carefully scrutinized in terms of their portrayal of women.

4. Women must not be portrayed in stereotyped images that emphasis passive,

submissive qualities and encourage them to play a subordinate secondary role in the
family and society. Both men and women should be portrayed in ways that encourage
mutual respect and a spirit of giveand take between the sexes.

40
5. The foreign exchange resource should be spent on importing worthwhileeducative
programs, particularly those that show the roles, lives and struggles of women in
neighboring and other Third World countries so that a greater understanding and a
shared perspective on problems is built.

6. It is necessary to ensure that a large number of rural women gain access to TV.
Therefore, in the placement of community TV sets preference should be given to the
meeting place of Mandals; Mahila Mandals should also be involved in the community
viewing arrangement.”

Having looked at a sensitive topic of “Domestic Violence in India”, we can sense the
importance of discussion of such a topic. The varying causes which can spark the
violence within the four walls of homes need to be analyzed carefully and a wise study
of the factors causing the violence may prevent a family to suffer from the menace of
domestic violence. The domestic violence may have a far wider and deeper impact in
real life than what has been covered in this essay. What is required is to see closely the
association of the factors provoking a particular form of domestic violence. If these
factors can becontrolled then more than one form of violence can be prevented from
harming an individual or our society and India would be a much better place to live in.

41
 SUGGESTIONS;-

Women’s vulnerability is the Root Cause; the problem of domestic violence in India is
required to be understood in the real sense. To understand the reason behind why
women become vulnerable and positioned themselves to be exploited.

1. Most of the women’s are illiterate and face a silent violence and they
are also under the pressure of tradition in society.

2. Attitudinal Change is needed among men and women; the basic socialstructure from
long time in India is Patriarchal structure where we cansee a male dominated society.
There is unequal distribution of power relationship is the root cause of violent attacks.
There should also be change in the attitudes between men and women to overcome
the victimization of violence.
3. Internalization of Legal Norms with Public Consensus Domestic violence in our
country is yet held to be “interfamilial affair” and disallow the intervention of the close
relatives and outsiders and the state. The real effective implementation of any
legislation has to undergo a security of strong public consensus and acceptance in
democratic processes.
4. The strong legal mandate prescribed for officers and stake holders; theofficers and
institution is responsible for the more effective implementation of Act. It is needed to
wipe out the gender discrimination, traditional relation of patriarchal society and male
dominance.
5. Gender Perspective training is necessary Gender perspective training should be
mandatory by the law and is crucial for changing the crucial mind set of patriarchal
society, police, service providers, medical practioners, protection officers, and
especially of magistrates, who often advise women to put up with the violence and
“stop
complaining”.
6. Counselling by Expertise At the pre litigation stage, counselling to the aggrieved
person for the restoring self-esteem, providing emotional support and assist her in
making decision as to the initiation of legal proceedings.

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 REFERENCES;-

 Domestic violence/Odisha policewww.odishapolice.gov.in

 Domestic Violence-Wikipedia;

 Main India(www.researchgate.net);

 Domestic violence in India (a summary report of a Household Survey);

 Final Draft report by Ministry of Child Development, GOI, NewDelhi(National

Family Health Survey);

 Bharitiya Stree Sakti (BSB);

 Global media Journal-Indian Edition;

 Domestic violence in India-summary report by ICRW;

 Women and media- Justice G.N. Roy;

 National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of India;

 Government of India ,1991. A Data of Violence against Women;

 National Crimes Record Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, India. 1995. Crime
in India. New Delhi: Government of India;

 http://www.legalserviceindia.com

 www.lawfarm.in

 www.thenewsminute.com

 https://www.helplinelaw.com

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