NEW DELHI: Women living in rural areas in the age group of 18-49 years face spousal violence more than their counterparts in urban areas, according to the latest NFHS-6 data. It is not just spousal violence; women, mostly in rural areas, experience physical violence during pregnancy, and young women aged 18-29 years have experienced sexual violence by age 18.
Though, the National Family Health Survey-6 shows that more women have become empowered from being internet literate, holding more bank accounts, to having their own mobile phones, states have reported rising violence—both physical and sexual violence—against women living in rural areas.
However, there are states like Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, and Puducherry where urban women face more spousal violence than those in rural areas.
According to the NFHS-6 data, which was released on Friday, gender-based violence in India saw a dip of nearly 7% from 29.2% in 2019-21 to 22.3% in 2023-24. It also showed that ever-married women aged 18-49 years who have ever experienced spousal violence dipped from 29.2% to 22.3%, with rural (24.4%) women facing more violence compared to urban women (17.5%).
Also, ever-married women aged 18-49 years who have experienced physical violence during any pregnancy saw a slight dip from 3.1% to 2.7%; again, rural women faced it more (2.9%) as compared to urban women (2.3%).
As per data, some states, mostly southern states, saw spousal violence against women more than national average. While most states reported a reduction since 2021, states and UTs like Kerala, Mizoram, Goa, Lakshadweep, and Andaman and Nicobar Island saw a hike.