In the midst of a pandemic, the number of women reporting domestic abuse and harassment to the National Commission for Women increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2020. The National Commission for Women received 30,865 complaints in the second year of the pandemic, with 72.5 percent (22,379) falling into three categories: securing their right to live in dignity (36 percent); protection from domestic violence (21.6 percent); and harassment of married women, including for dowry (15 percent).
According to a state-by-state breakdown, Uttar Pradesh accounts for 51.3 percent of all complaints across 24 categories, followed by Delhi (10.8 percent) and Maharashtra (4.9 percent).
When compared to the previous year's statistics, the overall number of complaints increased by nearly 30%, from 23,722 in 2020 to 30,865. Nearly 70% of the total complaints received in 2020 came from the three categories that garnered the most complaints this year.
NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said, "the pandemic has been a challenge for everyone across the globe especially women. We have more and more women coming forward and getting help from NCW. We receive around 400 calls daily on the helpline including those for information about NCW and get around 10 SOS calls a week seeking emergency help."
Complaints regarding acquiring the right to live in dignity grew by 44% to 11,084 in 2021, compared to 7,715 the previous year, according to the NCW website. The second most popular reason for women contacting the commission in 2021, as in 2020, was to seek protection against domestic violence, with 6,682 complaints filed, up 26% from the previous year.
