Understanding Gender-Based Violence in India: Patterns, Institutional Response, and Global Lessons

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in India spans intersections of caste, class, religion, gender identity, and geography, making it a critical human rights concern. This paper synthesizes existing data, legal frameworks, and scholarship on GBV, to understand its forms, impacts, and institutional responses through both national and global lenses. It situates GBV within India’s sociocultural and historical contexts, from patriarchal and colonial legacies to present-day inequities, and expands its scope beyond intimate and sexual violence to include digital, caste- and religion-based, and state or community-inflicted harms. Drawing on NCRB, NFHS, media, and legal data, the study highlights underreported violence and systemic barriers to justice. Incorporating insights from Sweden, Argentina, Rwanda, South Africa, and Bangladesh, it outlines effective practices such as preventive education, survivor-centred policing, and community justice. The paper concludes that eliminating GBV demands intersectional, systemic, and rights-based reforms for inclusive and sustainable change.