New Delhi: Thirty-five per cent of women in India face physical violence while 10 per cent of them suffer sexual violence from their intimate partners at home, according to a UN study.
Thirty-nine per cent of men and women in India also think that it is “sometimes or always” justifiable for a man to beat his wife, the study carried out by UN Women — a newly created body — said in a report released here.
“It was found that 35 per cent of respondents in India have reported to be victims of physical violence by their intimate partners, while 10 per cent of respondents were victims of sexual violence by their intimate partners,” it said.
Quoting findings of a survey undertaken by an NGO, the first flagship report of the world body said 68 per cent of the respondents felt that provocative clothing was an invitation to rape.
The UN body, which examined plights of women in countries across the world in the report, deplored minuscule three per cent representation of women in India’s judicial system.
“India significantly lags behind the rest of the world, with women making up just three per cent of judges. Women judges are under-represented in most of the courts in the country,” the global report said.
Releasing the report, Assistant Secretary General of UN Women Lakshmi Puri termed it as “disappointing” the meagre representation of women in India’s judicial system saying gender equality was “key” for ensuring justice to the victims.
The report said “discriminatory attitudes among the police and judges mean that women are often reluctant to report crimes”. (PTI)