Women in rural Odisha more vulnerable to domestic violence

Bhubaneswar: Despite several schemes and programmes, women still experience domestic violence especially in rural Odisha, revealed a survey commissioned by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

According to fourth survey conducted by National Family Health Survey (NFHS), 37.9% married women experienced spousal violence in rural area of the State, whereas the percentage was 24.8% in urban area.

The NFHS 2015-16 survey revealed that total percentage of Ever-married women (between age 15-49 years) who have ever experienced spousal violence was 35.2%. Although, the percentage was lower as compared to NFHS’s third survey 2005-06 (38.4%), the condition of women in rural belt of Odisha is still found marginal.

Similarly, the percentage of rural women who have experienced violence during any pregnancy was 3.8%, while 0.9% women faced violence during pregnancy in urban area of the state.

However, a steep rise has been registered in case of women having bank or savings account that they themselves use in Odisha. While the percentage was 53.7% in villages, it was 65% in urban cities. The average was 56.2% as against 9.8% in NFHS survey 2006-06.

The survey says that 32.5% women in villages have mobile phones that they use, while the percentage was 64.7% in Odisha towns.

The contents of NFHS-3 are generally retained and additional components are added from one round to another. In 2015-16 survey, information on malaria prevention, migration in the context of HIV, abortion, violence during pregnancy have been added.

Various indicators — Population and Household Profile, Characteristics of Adults (age 15-49), Marriage and Fertility, Infant and Child Mortality Rates (per 1,000 live births), Current Use of Family Planning Methods (currently married women age 15–49 years), Unmet Need for Family Planning (currently married women age 15–49 years), Quality of Family Planning Services, Maternal and Child Health, Maternity Care (for last birth in the 5 years before the survey), Delivery Care (for births in the 5 years before the survey), Child Immunizations and Vitamin A Supplementation, Treatment of Childhood Diseases (children under age 5 years), Child Feeding Practices and Nutritional Status of Children, Nutritional Status of Adults (age 15-49 years), Anaemia among Children and Adults, Blood Sugar Level among Adults (age 15-49 years), Hypertension among Adults (age 15-49 years) both men and women, Women Age 15-49 Years Who Have Ever Undergone Examinations of Cervix, Breast, Oral cavity, Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among Adults (age 15-49 years), Women’s Empowerment and Gender Based Violence (age 15-49 years) and Tobacco Use and Alcohol Consumption among Adults (age 15-49 years) — have been covered in the NFHS-4 survey.

The information in the Household Schedule was collected on all usual members of the household and visitors who stayed in the household the previous night as well as socio-economic characteristics of the household, water and sanitation, health insurance, number of deaths in the household in the three years preceding the survey etc.

Information on the woman’s characteristics, marriage, fertility, children’s immunizations and childcare, nutrition, contraception, reproductive health, sexual behaviour, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, etc. was canvassed in the Woman’s Schedule.