by Police - Bureau of Police Research and Development

The Indian Police Journalwomen are not in the position to follow the case due to lack of accessto enough resources to pursue such cases for a longer duration. 8 Afterremedy under Civil Law, which is intended to provide and protectthe women from being victims of the Domestic Violence and toprevent the occurrence of Domestic Violence in the society, DomesticViolence Bill was introduced in 2002 and it was passed in the form ofAct was passed keeping in view the International Conventions, likeVienna Accord of 1994, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,1995. The Statement of the Objects and Reasons of the Act providesthat the phenomenon of Domestic Violence is widely prevalent, buthas remained largely invisible in the public domain. Presently, wherea woman is subjected to cruelty by her husband or his relatives, itis an offence under Section 498-A of Indian Penal Code. The CivilLaw does not, however, address the phenomenon in its entirety. 9 ThePresent Act is enacted keeping in view the rights guaranteed underthe Constitution to provide for a remedy under the Civil Law, whichis intended to protect the women from being victims of DomesticViolence. 10Features of the ActThe Act provides for the different types of provision for the protectionof women from Domestic Violence. These may be analyzed as under:• The present Act seeks to cover those women, who are or have beenin a relationship with the abuser, where both parties have livedtogether in a shared household and are related by consanguinity,marriage or a relationship in the nature of marriage, or adoption,in addition relationship with the family members living togetheras a joint family are also included. Even those women, who aresisters, widows, mothers, single women or living with the abuser,are entitled to protection under the Act. 118 Violenceagainst Women: Issues and Perspectives, Deep and Deep Publications, New Delhi,2000, p. 37.9See Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the Protection of Women fromDomestic Violence Act, 2005.10See 11See Section 2 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.152 January - March, 2013