Mumbai: SNEHA’s 4-year survey reveals over 4,000 women in informal settlements face emotional and economic violence, with physical abuse affecting 80% | File Photo
Mumbai: Over 4,000 women from 48 urban informal settlements of Mumbai have survived violence, revealed a four-year long survey by Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA). The report found that more than physical violence, women faced emotional and economic violence.
SNEHA, a Mumbai-based NGO which helps transform lives of women and children in vulnerable communities to live a healthier life, recently unveiled findings from a 4-year program conducted in Mumbai. The program identified 4,121 women as survivors of violence, of whom 3,201 reported domestic or intimate partner violence.
The program reached 60,000 people across 24 clusters in four informal settlements in Mumbai between 2018 and 2023. Out of 4,121 women identified as violence survivors, 93% faced emotional violence, 84% faced economic violence and 80% reported physical violence. Survivors also reported coercive control and neglect, difficulties in their roles in the family, controlling family, financial stress, drug or alcohol abuse in the family and disagreement over property.
The program also found that only 27% of these women reported personal autonomy in visiting family or friends, and 42% believed that it was a woman’s duty to remain in violent relationships to keep the family together. Identification of the survivors increased steadily over the four years of program with 791 cases in first year, 874 in second, 1,180 cases in third and 1276 cases reported in fourth year.
The NGO identified 3,309 survivors facing domestic violence, out of which 26% were facing violence from an intimate partner, 48% from another family member, and 26% from both. The research program was carried out in partnership with professor David Osrin from University College London.
Dr. Nayreen Daruwalla, programme director at SNEHA, said, “We formed more than 72 women’s groups, 25 men’s groups, and 24 youth groups in the neighborhoods in which the interventions were conducted. Over 2,000 women attended each group. These interventions over the past 4 years have meant that 84% of survivors of violence who met with a case worker say that it has reduced after six months. They have also made women confident that they can support survivors of violence.”
With the success of the trial program, SNEHA plans to implement it across various urban informal settlements in Mumbai, where the NGO is present. The NGO plans to partner with public as well as non-profit organizations across states like Karnataka, Delhi, Odisha, Rajasthan, Daman and Diu, among others in India by sharing their experience and knowledge from this program.
