2024 Theses Master's

Behind Closed Doors: Exploring the Link Between Domestic Violence Against Women and Child Mortality in India

Benami Narasimhan, Daya

Aiming to add to the body of human rights literature on the reverberating effects of domestic violence against women, this paper seeks to understand the relationship between lifetime experiences of domestic violence against women and child mortality rates in India.

This study uses a data-driven approach, utilizing longitudinal data obtained from the Indian National Family Health Survey program, with technical assistance from the Demographic and Health Surveys Program administered by the United States Agency for International Development. Using statistical analysis methods, this study tracks changes in domestic violence (both physical and sexual) against women and child mortality in India.

This study used data obtained in 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-21, with the initial data point of 2005 marking the year the Indian Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed. The Kaplan-Meier Survival Curve was then used to connect these two variables, by calculating the survival probabilities of children whose mothers experienced domestic violence and children of mothers who did not experience domestic violence, respectively. A statistically significant difference between the mean survival probabilities of these two groups of children was found, supporting a correlation between domestic violence against women and lower survival probabilities in children ages 0-5.

This study also found that rates of domestic violence against women and child mortality have both decreased over the period of study, but was unable to isolate any specific causes. Situated within a human rights framework at the intersection of women’s rights and children’s rights, these findings demonstrate how domestic violence against women is not only harmful to victims themselves, but also to future generations, and therefore must be addressed with protective measures far exceeding those currently in place today.