Exploring the Types of Abuses Faced by Women in Bangalore City: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study aims to explore the various types of abuse experienced by women in Bangalore City, including physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, and digital forms of abuse.The research focuses on understanding the lived experiences of women, the impact of abuse on their mental and emotional well-being, and the effectiveness of support systems in addressing these issues.Using a phenomenological approach, data will be collected through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with a diverse group of women aged 18-50.The study will adopt purposive sampling to select participants who have faced abuse, ensuring diversity in socio-economic backgrounds and types of abuse encountered.Thematic analysis will be used to identify key themes related to the forms of abuse, the coping mechanisms women employ, and the role of societal and institutional support.Ethical considerations, such as ensuring confidentiality and providing emotional support, will be prioritized throughout the research process.The findings are expected to reveal significant insights into the challenges women face when reporting or addressing abuse and the societal norms that perpetuate these issues.This study will contribute to the understanding of abuse in an urban setting, highlighting the gaps in legal and social support systems while offering recommendations for more effective interventions.The respondents of the study i.e women who have experienced abuses have been chosen from the beneficiaries of "Parihar"."Parihar" is a charitable institution registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration act 1960, exempted under 80(G) of Income Tax Act.It is an initiative of Bengaluru City Police, and is managed by a dedicated, committed and successful team of professional counsellors, and police staff with vast experience in counselling and social work.Parihar undertakes charitable, philanthropic and socio-economic programs for the welfare of Women, Children and Family as a whole.Parihar's implementation structure consists of mainly four important people, its Ex-officio President being the Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru City, Vice President and Nodal officer, is the Jt.Commissioner of Police (Crime) & Secretary is the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Admin) and Treasurer is the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime)"Parihar" stands out for its 'vision' and 'mission' to work for the upliftment of women and children in today's society with various challenges and positive attitude to redress the issues in a holistic manner.Parihar networks with all the Police Stations, NGO's, Short-Stay homes, hospitals, de-addiction centres, schools, colleges, public/private organizations and communities etc., to help the women and children in distress.Parihar provides free services are like Tele-Counselling, Police Support, Counselling, Medical services, short stay, Legal services, Rehabilitation to distressed women/children to fight against abuse and exploitation.The services are to help peacefully resolve family issues. There are 4 projects implemented and monitored by Parihar: Family Counselling Centre (FCC): Most of the atrocities registered with the police are cases of mal-adjustments where family relationships could be improved through intensive counselling.Keeping this in mind, this center was started in the premises of Bengaluru Police Commissioner's Office, in 1993 and is funded by the Central Social Welfare Board, New Delhi and supervised by the Karnataka State Social Welfare Board, Bengaluru. Vanitha Sahayavani (Women's Helpline) (VSV) ; It was established on 1999 by the Bengaluru City Police to provide support to women in distress and to handle the issues of women safety. Makkala Sahayavani(Children Helpline) (MSV) -The helpline for Children, reachable on Namma 100, was set up in 1997 by Bengaluru City Police, to protect Children from difficult situations and counsel them PARIHAR -Skill Development Training Centre has been started at CAR Head Quarters, Mysore Road with the help of Bengaluru city police for empowering domestic violence survivors, underprivileged women, which will help them to create an opportunity for self employment and to become financially independent.The training will focus on skill such as tailoring , embroidery, paper bags, jute bags, saree tassels etc., .A full time trainer teaching in two batches everyday.By shedding light on the experiences of women in Bangalore, the research aims to foster greater awareness and drive policy changes to improve women's safety and well-being in the city.