NEW DELHI (TrustLaw) - A law to protect and compensate women in India who face abuse in their own homes has failed to do so in the country's capital with almost 15,000 cases registered, yet not a single conviction, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
Hailed as a landmark law which recognised all forms of abuse against women in the home – from verbal and emotional abuse to sexual violence and economic deprivation, the Domestic Violence Act was enacted in 2006. Under the law, decisions were meant to be made within 60 days of a case being registered.
In New Delhi, 14,887 cases have been registered since 2007, yet there has not been a single conviction, largely due to the high numbers of such cases and little manpower to deal with them, the report said.
"There is a deluge of applications under this act. But we do not have infrastructure and manpower to dispose of them within the stipulated time," Pinki Anand, a senior Supreme Court lawyer was quoted as saying.
For domestic abuse victims in the city, this has meant that few have gained protection from their abusers and many are still awaiting compensation such as a share in the property or salary, as well as damages for physical or emotional abuse suffered.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau, there were 228,650 crimes committed countrywide against women last year, these include "dowry deaths" and cruelty by husbands and family.
Women's groups say the real figure could much higher greater because many cases go unreported with victims unwilling to speak out, fearing the shame and stigma associated with being a divorced or separated woman in traditional Indian society.
In addition, many women are financially dependent on their abusers and have nowhere to go if they complain to police about being mistreated, they say.
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