Femicide and Domestic Violence in Contemporary India

ABSTRACT: The article explores the link between domestic violence, families, and femicide in India. Naming and defining different kinds of femicide is important to understand the magnitude and nature of the pernicious problem and its continuation in postcolonial India. Death of girls by negligence, skewed sex ratios, illegal abortions of female fetus, dowry murders, honor crimes, and caste- or religion-based killing of women are discussed to underscore the urgency to address the problem comprehensively. The author argues for a systematic approach to data collection on crimes against women to address undercounting of femicides.