Sexual violence has a profound impact on physical and mental health of an individual. Not just that it also has both immediate and long term consequences. It can have an impact on mental health as on physical as well. Sexual violence can also profoundly affect the social life of the victim. In India especially, with the orthodox mentality prevailing strongly in the rural parts, individuals may be stigmatized and detested by their families and others in the society and the neighborhood.

Sexual violence, especially in domestic violence, is usually a result of the expression of power and dominance of one sex over another in most cases, dominance of the husband over his wife. The problem aggravates when men think that their actions are legitimate just because they are married and that they have full control and power over their wives. Also in our country, women really do not talk about domestic sexual violence because they too think that their husbands have a right to torture them and rape them and that all they can do is shed some tears. This is seen in remote rural areas of the country. Many of the women and men are also be raped when in police custody or in prison. The common consequences of sexual violence are those related to mental health and social wellbeing being disrupted.

Research estimates have proved that 77 percent of the victims of domestic violence are women. Out of all violent crimes, 16 percent are due to domestic abuse. Domestic abuse affects one out of four women and one out of six men in their lifetimes. It has been observed that domestic violence is repeatedly perpetrated on the victim compared to other forms of crimes, and on an average the victim takes the extreme step of calling the police only after three dozen assaults.

In England one incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute, and two women are killed every week by a current or ex partner.

Domestic violence occurs across the world – regardless of age, gender, class, caste and education. Domestic violence manifest as a continuous pattern of controlling and abusive behavior through which the perpetrator seeks power over the damaged party. Figures reveal that domestic violence consists mainly of violence done on women by men. Women are the main victims of domestic violence. Women who are victims of domestic abuse suffer on many levels – health, education, and housing. It will not be an exaggeration to say that women in most parts of the world don’t have the right to live their lives in the way they want – and are constantly subdued by fear.

Recent figures reveal that one-in-ten women are victims of domestic violence every year. In America violence against women translates into monetary damage up to $5.8 billion every year. Overt violence against women manifests in onerous ways like rape, stalking, physical assault, and homicide by intimate partners. Out of these, many women remain in urgent need of direct mental and medical health care. Lost productivity and earnings in terms of working days, output and health damage accumulates into huge losses all over the world, due to violence that is done on women, at the household level.

Corporates and companies would benefit greatly by trying to tackle issues of domestic violence midst their employees. Ensuring the safety of women employees in their own homes can also go a long way in ensuring their financial well being. Violence against women has been gauged as a high security risk in all developed countries. It has been observed that 85 to 90% of all domestic violence victims are women. About 5.3 million women suffer abuse in America every year. Over 500, 00 women are stalked by their intimate partners every year. 1,232 women are killed each year by their partners in the most developed country of the world.

The leading cause of injury to women all over the world is domestic violence. There is more possibility of a woman being attacked by someone close and assessable. Moreover homicide has been found to be the leading cause of death for women in the workplace and at home. In India violence against women has become one of the most prevalent violations of human rights. It will not be too much to state, that violence against women is assuming epidemic proportion on planet earth.