Domestic Violence and Health Care in India

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvii

   PDF

2. Understanding Domestic Violence

   • Meerambika Mahapatro

   Pages 1-46

3. Theoretical and Methodological Issues and Perspectives

   • Meerambika Mahapatro

   Pages 47-91

4. Impact of Domestic Violence on Health

   • Meerambika Mahapatro

   Pages 93-135

5. Health-Care Provisions and Responses in Practice Settings

   • Meerambika Mahapatro

   Pages 137-182

6. Policy, Prevention and Reforms

   • Meerambika Mahapatro

   Pages 183-226

This book discusses health care issues related to domestic violence, using extensive case studies from India. By discussing the global literature, legal systems, methodological challenges of gathering information on domestic violence, and health systems issues, along with learnings from case studies, it fills a significant gap in the literature between health care policy and practice vis-à-vis victims of domestic violence. It therefore enables a systemic and systematic response to incidents of domestic violence. Policy instructions, court verdicts, government interventions, community-based direct interventions and related case discussions in the book help in the understanding and management of cases. Though the book uses case studies from India, it addresses globally relevant issues for health care professionals. In view of the paucity of application of systematic evidence-based knowledge, the holistic perspective presented in the book is important to prevent domestic violence, protect women’s rights, and promote healthcare and wellbeing of women and children facing domestic violence. 


Medical professionals are expected to intervene in instances of injuries related to domestic violence---a responsibility that they are currently unable to fulfil due to lack of training in recognizing abuse and lack of tools for intervention. This book improves hands-on-knowledge by providing information on where to refer victims for assistance and timely intervention. Comprehensive yet lucid, this book is useful for academics, policy makers, non-government organizations and women’s rights groups in helping victims during and after a violent episode and also in improving reporting and referral services. 

• Domestic Violence in India
• domestic violence and women's health
• reproductive health and RTIs
• physical violence and mental health
• psychological violence and sexual violence
• domestic violence act in India
• role of health professionals
• gender and healthcare policy in India
• intimate partner violence
• reproductive health consequences of violence
• challenges of research on domestic violence

• National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India

  Meerambika Mahapatro

Meerambika Mahapatro is Associate Professor at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi. Dr. Mahapatro career as a social epidemiologist of two and half decades had focused on social-contextual determinants, especially policy determinants on health and equity among victims of violence. Dr. Mahapatro started her career as a researcher at the University of Delhi and Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, before joining government institutes like the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and NIHFW. She has also worked on an Indo-Dutch and World Bank Health and Sanitation Programme, State Innovations in Family Planning Services (SIFPSA), Uttar Pradesh, and Population Foundation of India, New Delhi. She has a PhD on accessibility and utilization of health care services among tribal populations of Odisha, from the University of Delhi. She has published several articles and research papers in peer-reviewed journals of national and international repute. Asa World Health Organization (WHO) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) fellow, she has received training in public health at universities in Thailand, Sweden and Vietnam. She has attended and presented papers at many national and international conferences. Dr. Mahapatro has been the Principal Investigator of various research projects and received grants from WHO, ICMR, NIHFW, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), and the Uttarakhand state government. Her current areas of research interest include domestic violence, gender issues, methodological issues and women's empowerment in the area of public health.

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