Domestic violence: The changing concept

Domestic violence as such can also be called as Battery, Partner abuse, Spousal abuse etc. Domestic violence is a type of abuse. It involves injuring someone usually a spouse or partner. Domestic violence is a serious problem. It is the most common cause of injury to women ages 15 to 44. Victims may suffer physical injuries such as bruises or broken bones. They may suffer emotionally from depression, anxiety or social isolation. It is hard to know exactly how common domestic violence is, because people often don't report it. There is no typical victim. It happens among people of all ages. It affects those of all levels of income and education.
Domestic Violence (sometimes referred to as domestic abuse or spousal abuse) occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, or spousal abuse but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners. Domestic violence occurs in all cultures; people of all races, ethnicities, religions, sexes and classes can be perpetrators of domestic violence.
The Encyclopaedia of Social Sciences defines violence in the social context as “the illegal employment of methods of physical coercion for personal or group ends . . . which is distinct from force or power”. . . a purely physical concept. It goes beyond the dictionary meaning of the term ‘violence’ as merely the exercise of physical force so as to inflict injury or damage to persons or property both spiritual and non–spiritual. The “illegality “and “illegitimacy” of social violence will differ on situational norms and social context. There has been overlapping between “force” and “violence”, “legitimate” and “illegal violence”, between “violence” on the one hand and “discrimination” and “oppressions” perpetuated on the female folks as a group. For all these reasons, ‘social violence’ is roughly defined as the illegal use physical, mental and social concern or use of threats for personal or group ends reflected broadly in our traditional social structure and present day developmental processes. Here, the ‘coercive’ aspects ( physical, psychological and social), ‘threats’ for harm (battering, killing, insulting, isolating, molestation and rape, eve teasing) and the ‘discriminating’ and ‘oppressive’ aspects and of violence (subjugation in different walks of life i.e. child rearing and child bearing, employment, low wages, education, health, denial of opportunities for dissent, etc.) are included.
Thus , the social violence means illegal use of force or threats for use of such force by the patriarchal social order and their agents (e.g. men) against women folks in general for perpetuating the goals of that group (e.g. men) for subjugating women physically, socially and psychologically.

[Inputs: Premjit Elangbam,DHR, LLM [Advocate]