MARITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: SOCIO-LEGAL PERSPECTIVE

The manifestations of violence against women vary with different economic, social and cultural contexts; there is no doubt that the phenomenon is universal and a major factor in the subordination of woman worldwide. Conceptualizing violence against women as a violation of human rights was a critical first step in framing abuses of women's rights within the international human rights system. While the manifestations of violence against women vary with different economic, social and cultural contexts, there is no doubt that the phenomenon is universal and a major factor in the subordination of woman worldwide. In the 1980s., when violence against women's movements was at its peak in every region, the focus was on acts of overt physical and sexual violence. This included, for example, female infanticide, female foeticide, incest, battering, bride burning, marital rape, honor killing in private sphere, sexual harassment, rape in public arenas.1 Violence against women is also a manifestation of class oppression. Violence in a society on a family initiated by those who have power or by those who want to retain power2. The definition of violence had been expanded to include more structural forms of gender- based violence. Certain cultural practices, like son – preference, dowry customs etc.