Volume : 4 | Issue : 2 | Feb 2015 ISSN - 2250-1991

Research Paper Economics

Tribal women as the victims of the interrelation

between the empowerment and domestic
violence in Kerala

Assistant professor Post Graduate Department of Economics

Dr.Haseena V.A
M.E.S Asmabi college,P.Vemaballur,Kodungallur,Kerala
Domestic violence is one of the crimes against women which are linked to their disadvantageous position in the society.
Domestic violence refers to violence against women especially in matrimonial homes. Therefore domestic violence is
recognized as the significant barriers of the empowerment of women, with consequences of women’s health, their health
ABSTRACT

seeking behaviour and their adoption of small family norm. However an attempt has been made to study whether ever
married women of reproductive age group in India view wife-beating as justified. Background characteristics such as
education, age, marital duration, place of residence, caste, religion, sex of the head of the household, standard of living,
work status of women, exposure to mass media and the autonomy of women with respect to .The analysis shows that the
women belonging to low socio-economic status are more likely to agree with each of the different reasons justifying wife-
beating. Again domestic violence is more among lower autonomy and women belonging to low socio-economic status

KEYWORDS
Economic violence
Introduction is another category of violence identified by the UN Special
Scheduled Tribes in India are generally considered to be ‘Ad- Reporter on Violence against Women. This is perpetrated
ivasis,’ meaning indigenous people or original inhabitants of usually by an intimate partner or family member and includes
the country. The tribes have been confined to low status and economic blackmail, control over money a woman earns, de-
are often physically and socially isolated instead of being ab- nial of access to education, health assistance or remunerated
sorbed in the mainstream Hindu population. Psychologically, employment and denial of property rights. Gender-based vio-
the Scheduled Tribes often experience passive indifference that lence against women takes many forms and occurs through-
may take the form of exclusion from educational opportuni- out a woman’s life cycle.
ties, social participation, and access to their own land. All trib-
al communities are not alike. They are products of different Domestic violence
historical and social conditions. They belong to different racial that is any act of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse,
stocks and religious backgrounds and speak different dialects. or the threat of such abuse, inflicted against a woman by a
Discrimination against women, occupational differentiation, person intimately connected to her through marriage, fam-
and emphasis on status and hierarchical social ordering that ily relation, or acquaintanceship is universal and has its root
characterize the predominant mainstream culture are gen- in the socio-cultural set up of the society. The perpetrators
erally absent among the tribal groups. Adivasis are not as a of domestic violence have often been found to be the males
general rule regarded as unclean or polluted in the same way and the victims, their sexual partners. Internationally, one in
as the Scheduled Caste population is perceived by the main- three women have been beaten, coerced into sex or abused
stream culture. Scheduled Tribe population represents one of in their lifetime by a member of her own family (Heise et al.
the most economically impoverished and marginalized groups 1999). Looking at the domestic front, staring from Vedic age
in India. Although Scheduled Tribes are a minority, they con- to twenty first century, women in India perhaps have never ex-
stitute about 8.2 % of the total population in India, or 85 perienced equal rights and freedom compared to their male
million people in absolute number. Violence has a profound counterparts. The concept of ‘Ardhangini’ [half of the body]
effect on tribal women. Beginning before birth, in some cases, seems to be restricted only in literatures and have never im-
with sex-selective abortions, or at birth when parents who are plemented in practical life. In addition to this, extracts from
desperate for a son may kill female babies, it continues to af- Ramcharitamanas of Tulsidas like ‘Dhol, Gauwnaar, Shudra,
fect women throughout their lives. Each year, millions of girls Pashu aur Nari; Sakal Tadan ka Adhikari’ [drums, uncivilized
undergo female genital mutilation. illiterates, lower castes, animals and women are all fit to be
beaten] besides other indicators like Pardaha system [hiding
Nature and scope of the study the face in veils], Sati system [self immersion of the lady in
The most widely used definition of violence against women husband’s pyre] that are subject to women only; is a reflection
(VAW) is: The Declaration on Elimination of Violence Against of the history of women’s subordinate status. In short, it is al-
Women adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1993, de- ways the women who have to be in the tight rope, subject to
fines Violence Against Women as “any act of gender based inequality and looked down as an inferior sex. Staring from
violence against women that results in or is likely to result in childhood to the end of her life she has to be under the con-
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, trol of father or husband or the son. The subordinate status of
including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary depriva- women combined with socio cultural norms that are inclined
tions of liberty, whether occurring in public or private spaces”. towards patriarchy and masculinity can be considered as an
important factor determining the domestic violence.
The Centre for Diseases Control in the US has defined four
different types of violence: Health 
Health is an important indicator of the well being of any
• Physical violence group. Literature on the health status of the tribal women in
• Sexual violence India is not comprehensive. Most health related studies are
• Threat of physical or sexual violence, and limited, they do not cover the various dimensions of health af-
• Psychological or emotional abuse. fecting the status of tribal women like i) sex-ratio, ii) Female

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Volume : 4 | Issue : 2 | Feb 2015 ISSN - 2250-1991

literacy, iii) Marriage practices, iv) Age at marriage, v) Age of knowledge about laws related to atrocities against women
mother at first conception vi) Life expectancy at birth, etc. and services addressing women’s issues were scanty with re-
Poverty, deprivation and now the reduction of government ex- gard to the victims under study. Proper awareness campaigns,
penditure on basic medical health facilities is reflected in the Workshops, Seminars etc. in this regard should therefore be
absolutely poor health condition of Tribal women and chil- organized regularly in rural as well as urban areas. Further-
dren. Child bearing is in this 21st century still a risk to the life more, a committee should be set up to monitor the proper
of the woman. Anemia is the normal condition for women, functioning of the institutions dealing with women’s issues.
and malnutrition is rampant. Trafficking and Migration of trib- More over a clear – cut state policy is needed to safe guard
al Women women’s rights. A fundamental change is required in the at-
titude of the employers, policy makers, family members and
Poor economic conditions, usurpation of their land by outsid- other relatives and the public at large towards women. An at-
er landlords, lack of employment opportunities, displacement titudinal change in the society is also required, if women are
and poverty are forcing adivasi men and women to migrate to live in the world as free human beings with due respect
to urban areas or to areas where there is work. Earlier only and without fear. Women must organize themselves in-groups
men migrated to urban centers but in recent years large scale and raise a collective voice against violent acts. Unified efforts
migration of single women is taking place from all regions. can certainly create a public opinion and outcry against situ-
Tribal families are driven by poverty to send unmarried daugh- ations, where women are subjected to all forms of atrocities.
ters. These single women and tribal girls are being exploited
by employers and are in a vulnerable position. They are also
becoming victims of attacks by anti social elements.One of the
most common problems which adivasi women face is sexual
exploitation by outsiders – forest contractors, usurers, land-
lords, forest department officials etc. the relatively free sexu-
al relations among unmarried adivasis were also exploited by
them for their own ends.

Table 1
Forms of violence experienced by tribal women through-
out their lifespan
Phase Type of Violence Present
Pre-birth Sex-selective abortion; battering during
pregnancy; coerced pregnancy.
Infancy Female infanticide; emotional and physical
abuse; differential access to food and medical
care.
Child marriage; genital mutilation; sexual
Girlhood abuse by family members and strangers;
differential access to food, medical care and
education
Violence during courtship; economically
Adolescence coerced sex (e.g. for school fees); sexual
abuse in the workplace; rape; sexual
harassment; arranged marriage; trafficking.
Physical, psychological and sexual abuse by
intimate male partners and relatives; forced
Reproductive pregnancies by partner; sexual abuse in the
age workplace; sexual harassment; rape; abuse
of widows, including property grabbing and
sexual cleansing practices.
Abuse of widows, including property
Elderly grabbing; accusations of witchcraft; physical
and psychological violence by younger family
members; differential access to food and
medical care.

Conclusion
Violence against tribal women is not a new or recent phe-
nomenon. Women had been the victims of violence all
through the ages- in all societies, culture, region and religious
communities of the world. Violence in any form should be
averted, and condemned at all means. The study showed that,

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