FEMINIST MOVEMENTS IN INDIA have long since identified domestic violence as a structural violence rooted in unequal power structures within intimate and familial spaces. Instead of looking at abuse as a matter contained within the private space, the feminist legal critique has positioned it within a continuum upheld by patriarchal societal norms enforced through institutional practises that have given precedence to the preservation of family structures over women’s bodily autonomy & integrity.
Women seeking protection frequently encounter disbelief, moral scrutiny, and pressure to reconcile. Police responses often push for mediation, legal procedures are dragged out, and enforcement of relief measures remains uneven. Even progressive laws operate within institutional cultures shaped by gender hierarchy.*
The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (‘PWDVA’) marked a decisive feminist intervention. The Domestic Violence Act expanded the limits of the legal framework and recognised domestic violence as a violation of civil rights. It thus created scope for civil remedies like – residence, maintenance, custody, protection & compensation. However, fundamental potential has always depended on steady implementation and sustained feminist engagement.
