Psychological Abuse of Women as A Form of Domestic Violence And Human Rights Violation: Breaking The Public-Private Barrier

Abstract

The world is under a “shadow pandemic” which is the violence perpetrated against women and domestic violence is one of the most common forms of violence that women all over the world have to face. Domestic violence does not entail only physical violence but also includes psychological or emotional violence that can be equally traumatic and injurious to a woman”s mental health and may even drive one to suicide. Therefore it is a blatant violation of the right of a woman to live with dignity which is the most fundamental of human rights. It is often believed that with education and empowerment of women it is possible to eradicate domestic violence. This research based on the experiences of educated urban working women with psychological abuse, was undertaken to determine whether education and career make women immune from psychological and emotional violence or make them aware of their rights. Another aspect of the research is that there is a certain hesitation among the victims of psychological violence to seek justice in the Indian society because women are often stigmatized for speaking out. Therefore it is necessary that the State regards the matter of mental and emotional abuse on women as a serious human rights issue and takes such measures that are appropriate in each case of psychological violence in order to ensure justice for the victims and root out this evil from society.