Physical and sexual violence within marriage among youth in India: findings from the youth in India, situation and needs study

Rajib Acharya, Population Council
Faujdar Ram, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

While evidence of physical and sexual violence has been increasingly documented in India, information is relatively sparse on the experience of physical and sexual violence among married youth, the perspectives of husbands as perpetrators and factors associated with the experience/perpetration of physical and sexual violence within marriage. With data from a sub-nationally representative study of youth in six states, this paper explores physical and sexual violence experienced by young women and perpetrated by young men within marriage and the factors associated with these experiences. Findings confirm that marital violence is indeed experienced/perpetrated by sizeable proportions of young women and men. Moreover, socialization experiences – whether socialization is gendered or exposes youth to violence – appear to be important factors associated with the experience/perpetration of violence; pre-marital romantic and sexual experience places young women at risk of and agency protects them from violence. Patterns and associations vary by state and sex of respondents.