Hyderabad: The United Nations gave a clarion call – “UNITE! Invest to protect violence against women and girls” – to observe a 16-day campaign, starting November 25, which marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The campaign, which concluded today, on December 10, has drawn attention towards a stark revelation: Every hour, more than five women (or girls) are slain by someone in their own family, around the world.
Despite such harrowing statistics, society’s response to gender-based violence remains largely apathetic, relegating countless cases into the crevices of indifference. The poignant truth of most societies remains the neglect of action against gender-based violence.
Telangana sees spike in cases of violence against women
In Telangana, on an average, police receive one complaint of domestic violence every four minutes. According to NCRB report, the rate of total crime against women per lakh population in Telangana stood at 117. A total of 22,066 cases of crime against women were registered in Telangana in 2022. As many as 20,865 cases were registered in 2021, 17,791 in 2020, and 18,394 cases in 2019.
| Year | No. of cases in Telangana |
| 2022 | 22,066 |
| 2021 | 20,865 |
| 2020 | 17,791 |
| 2019 | 18,394 |
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), shockingly, 84% of women in Telangana justified domestic violence, underscoring the insidious normalisation of such aggression within familial confines. These women justified domestic violence under the circumstances: If a woman disrespected her inlaws; neglected her home or children; went out without telling the husband; didn’t cook properly; or refused to have sex.
Harrowing tales of Hyderabad women
The highest number of cases registered in the state were related to cruelty by husbands or relatives with intent to outrage modesty. Other crimes included murder, rape, dowery death, abetment to suicide, acid attacks, abduction for ransom. Siasat.com asked a few women in Hyderabad what struggles they had been facing on a daily basis for being women, their responses were dreadful, but echoed with resounding resilience.
A graduate student said, “When I leave the house, men in my locality whistle at me. They may think it is romantic, but it ruins my day.
Another 25-year-old said, “One day, when I was 17, I was walking with my older brother. A few men started staring at me, and my brother got angry at me. Not at them! He told me that I should wear a scarf and cover my head. The staring didn’t stop despite covering up.”
Another woman who is a corporate employee said, “I was on Metro, and a man was staring at me. I think he clicked a picture as his camera flashed. When I told about this incident to my male colleagues, they laughed and said I need to ‘chill’. One of them told me he may have taken the picture because you look pretty. I felt like I was not being considered as a human but an object.”
“Men can never comprehend how scary it feels when an autorickshaw driver tries to be friendly and asks personal questions,” said another working woman.
When asked about the new government initiative of free bus travel for women, A 27-year-old woman said, “The new policy is great. It makes travelling easy but not safe.”
Ensuring safety and reshaping norm
In Hyderabad, women’s safety measures are rigorously being put into action. The commendable success of the SHE team reflects it. SHE team is a dedicated women’s safety wing of Telangana police. The units patrol areas where numerous cases of women’s abuse have been reported.
The initiative was launched in Hyderabad on October 24, 2014. A year later, SHE team was set up in every district of Telangana. Currently, 331 SHE teams are working in Telangana state. During the Ganesh Chaturti celebration this year, as many as 488 offenders were caught for harassing women by the SHE team in Hyderabad alone.
Another prominent assistance provided by authorities is the ‘Domestic violence module’, which registers a petition and acts on it without any delay to ensure safety and justice for the victim women.
There is also a centre for development and empowerment of women, which includes individual, couple and family counselling, awareness and training programmes, and referral services like police protection, legal services, shelter, etc.
“It’s a long way ahead to ensure safety and equality for women, but nonetheless we are in the right direction,” said a physician.
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