Behind four walls
Over the past two years, Jammu and Kashmir has reported 2,872 cases of domestic violence, and what’s most alarming is the 121 percent rise in incidents in just one year. According to the latest figures from Jammu and Kashmir’s Social Welfare Department, the number jumped to 1,979 in 2024-25 from 893 cases in 2023-24. What these figures tell is that domestic violence remains one of the most pervasive and underreported crimes in our society. The menace has been attributed to economic distress, unemployment, mental health struggles, and patriarchal mindsets that continue to condone violence against women either in the name of family honour or “private matters.”
Minister for Social Welfare Sakina Itoo informed the just concluded session of the legislative assembly that these cases were reported through One Stop Centres (OSCs) for Women and the Mission Shakti dashboard. These ‘Sakhi’ centres, operational since 2018, are meant to offer a lifeline to women in distress, providing medical help, legal aid, counselling, shelter, and police assistance. In turn, they are linked with the 181 Women Helpline and the 112 Emergency Response System, ensuring that no call for help goes unheard.
Yet, the sharp increase in cases also underlines a grim reality: while we should welcome the fact that more women are coming forward to report abuse, the persistence and escalation of violence point to a deeper crisis. It shows that laws and helplines cannot substitute for a lack of accountability. So, the state’s machinery must move beyond reactive mechanisms to preventive ones. What we need is community education, school sensitization, and strict monitoring of offenders.
Also, we must acknowledge that domestic violence is not just confined to physical assault, but includes emotional cruelty, which leaves lasting scars. Truth is that the rise in domestic violence is not a statistic. Behind every case is a woman who may have endured years of silence, fearing social stigma or lack of support. When such cases rise by over 100 per cent in a year, it signals a deep crisis. So, not just the government, even society has a role to play. We need both social sensitization and awareness to ensure that the offenders are held to account. Only when we confront the culture that normalizes such violence can we begin to build a society where every woman feels safe.
