CAUSES, FORMS AND LEVELS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN MUZAFFARABAD: AZAD JAMMU AND KASHMIR

The present study was conducted in Muzaffarabad. It focused the forms of domestic violence prevalent in the society along with the levels and causes which have enduring impacts on the lives of women in the area. Objectives: The objectives of study were to determine causes, levels and forma of domestic violence and comparison of violence against women in urban and rural area of Muzaffarabad. Method: Both paradigms, quantitative and qualitative, were merged to conduct the study. The sample size was taken 600 equally 300 from urban and rural area. The respondents were enumerated through a well structured quantitative questionnaire and interview schedule through convenience sampling technique. The data was analyzed through SPSS 16.00 version. Results: The causes of domestic violence were found as alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment, financial matters and psychological issues. Two main forms of domestic violence were found physical and psychological. Physical violence found 7.1% in rural area and 8.7% in urban area among the 300 respondents each along psychological violence in rural area was found 99.6% and in urban area it was found 100%. The overall ratio of physical violence found 15.8% while psychological violence 99.8% recorded. It signifies that domestic violence is more prevalent in urban setting rather than rural.