Violence Against Women

Violence Against Women
Violence against women is difficult to quantify because of unreliable statistics, but recent reports
indicated that domestic violence is widespread. A report released by the U.N. Population Fund in
September asserted that 47 percent of adult women report physical abuse by their male
partner. The Government, the media, and women's rights organizations have fostered a growing
awareness of the problem of violence against women.
Much of the violence against women is related to disputes over dowries. According to a human
rights group, there were 81 dowry-related killings during the year. Human rights groups and press
reports indicate that incidents of vigilantism against women--sometimes led by religious leaders--
at times occur, particularly in rural areas. These include humiliating, painful punishments, such as
the whipping of women accused of moral offenses. Assailants who fling acid in their faces
disfigured numerous women. One human rights organization reported that 181 women suffered
acid attacks during the year. The most common motivation for acid-throwing attacks against
women is revenge by a rejected suitor; land disputes are another leading cause of the acid
attacks. Few perpetrators of the acid attacks are prosecuted. Often the perpetrator flings the
acid in through an open window during the night, making cases difficult to prove. Some arrests
have been made, and one person has been given the death sentence