Articles
EP 65 | Public Choice Theory – An Introduction | Policy Beyond Politics
October 1, 2025
Nurturing the Think Tank Ecosystem for ‘Amrit Kaal 2047’
October 7, 2025The Silent Crisis: Domestic Violence, Gender Norms, and Institutional Gaps in Kerala
Kerala presents a striking paradox. Despite being one of India’s most progressive states with the highest literacy levels, a female labour force participation of 46%, and women outnumbering men in higher education enrollment, domestic violence remains pervasive.
According to the Kerala Police statistics on crimes against women in Kerala, approximately 18,500 cases were registered every year from 2022 to 2024, and 11,000 cases have already been registered by July this year. In the category of domestic violence, the numbers are between 4,500 and 5,000 from 2021 to 2024, with 2,000-plus cases already registered until July 2025. However, this is a grim picture, as it records only registered cases.
Kerala’s Data Paradox
It is ironic to see the increasing number of domestic violence and related suicides in Kerala, where education and employment rates are quite high compared to other states in India. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023-24 data shows a female labour force participation of 46 percent in Kerala, with 48.6 percent of rural women in the labour market. The Kerala Educational Survey 2021-22 report shows that the female gross enrollment ratio stood at 49 percent in higher education institutions in the state, compared to men at 34.1%.
But, it is difficult to clearly demonstrate that higher levels of schooling and education reduce the likelihood of women experiencing spousal violence in Kerala (Refer to Table 1).
Table 1: NFHS-5 Data on Ever-Married Women in Kerala Experiencing Violence based on Education Level
| Schooling in Years | Percentage of Ever-Married Women facing Violence (Physical/Sexual/Emotional) |
| Schooling 5–7 yrs | 12.2 |
| Schooling 8–9 yrs | 14.9 |
| Schooling 10–11 yrs | 14.9 |
| Schooling 12+ yrs | 11 |
However, there is a paradox in women’s employment and spousal violence that women face. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) 2019-21 data shows that shows that 20% of employed women face violence in Kerala, while among unemployed women, it is 10%. This suggests that being financially independent is not the sole criterion for empowerment. The husband’s alcohol consumption also has a positive correlation with the increasing spousal violence in Kerala. Additionally, the data shows that spousal violence against women increases with age among married women (Refer Table 2).
Table 2: NFHS 5 Data on Ever-Married Women in Kerala Experiencing Violence based on Age
| Age | Percentage of Ever-Married Women facing Violence (Physical/Sexual/Emotional) |
|---|---|
| Age 20–24 | 5.5 |
| Age 25–29 | 10.7 |
| Age 30–39 | 12.7 |
| Age 40–49 | 15.7 |
The data on education, employment, age, etc., is not surprising because 57 percent of women in Kerala justify their husbands beating them for various reasons like neglecting in-laws and children, not doing household chores, being unfaithful, etc. Incidentally, 62 percent of men in Kerala believe that they are justified in beating their wives (Source: NFHS).
Findings and Recommendations
A recent study by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) to understand the institutional gaps in the system supporting women highlights that the primary reasons for the sustained increase in violence are poor gender education, along with poor awareness about the institutional support in place. While the Department of Women and Child Development in Kerala is implementing Central schemes like One Stop Centers, Mahila Manthirams, Mitra Helplines, and Women Protection Officers under the Domestic Violence Act, along with state-budgeted programmes like Awasanidhi, the benefits or support under these are availed by only a few sections of society.
Moreover, the Kudumbasree’s Snehitha initiative, the Health Department’s Bhumika initiative, and the Seethalayam programme by the Homeopathy Department are all well-intended, but have few takers. Reasons for the poor reporting in these institutions include a general lack of awareness about the schemes, the continued “compromise and adjustment” settlement methods used in every domestic violence issue, and the stigma around reporting the crime.
The social stigma around reporting domestic abuse is clear from the National Family Health Survey 5 data that shows 57 percent of women have not sought any help and 19.3 percent told someone but haven’t sought any institutional help. An interesting finding of NFHS 5 data is the contextual and intergenerational aspects of spousal violence. Women whose mothers were beaten by their fathers are more than three times more likely to be in abusive marriages themselves than women whose mothers were not beaten by their fathers.
Poor planning and utilisation of the funds, along with poor interdepartmental coordination for combating GBV, is yet another reason for the ineffectiveness of the existing institutions and scheme.
Training and capacity building of first-line responders such as OSC staff, police, public prosecutors, and healthcare professionals are crucial for reporting of crimes and ensuring support to women in distress. These trainings must not get suffocated in the inherent gender bias of only women attending and men considering the training not for them. The training must be provided and must be attended by all irrespective of gender, and must be linked to their appraisal mechanisms.
Further, training curriculum must be comprehensive with Gender Norms and Sensitisation, Trauma Informed Care and Counselling, Legal module, Police module, Rehabilitation module, Reintegration module, Monitoring and Evaluation module, Feedback and Follow-up module, Cyber module, and Self Care module. The training must have a budget set aside every year to ensure the regularity and frequency of these capacity-building initiatives.
Feedback on the services provided must be collected by all departments working towards fighting GBV. An improvement in the institutional response can build trust in the women to seek help. However, the current institutional architecture lacks systems to collect feedback. In order to improve the help-seeking behaviour as well as understand the needs of the capacity-building programmes, feedback serves as an excellent tool.
Men and boys as key stakeholders in the combating of GBV has to be promoted through targeted programmes in schools and colleges for destigmatizing perceived gender roles and supporting them in building respect in relationships through innovative methods. These initiatives must be supported with a separate budget by the Department of Women and Child in collaboration with the Department of Education.
While these initiatives could help and complement the existing institutions and programmes, being an uncaring bystander witnessing a distress situation against women must change. Supporting women through bystander intervention is crucial and must be practised as a socially responsible individual. Kerala’s real progress will be measured not only in literacy and employment but also in the dignity, safety, and freedom of its women.
Anu Maria Francis is a Senior Associate (Research and Project Management) at the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi, Kerala, India.
Views expressed by the authors are personal and need not reflect or represent the views of the Centre for Public Policy Research.
Anu Maria Francis is an Associate, Research at Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR). She completed her graduation in Law from National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi. She has worked as UPSC exam trainer and mentor with many coaching institutions in Kerala. She has also interned with a couple of organisations like Kerala State Information Commission, ACTIONAID India, Ceat Tyres Ltd, Biocon Pharma Ltd, Khaitan and Co Law Firm etc. Her academic interests pertain to legal and governance issues and education. She also has experience in handling business ventures.
