-Down to Earth Karnataka, Assam and Sikkim registered biggest spike in cases of spousal violence Gender-based violence across most Indian states declined in the past half-a-decade, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS). There were, however, several outliers. Karantaka, Assam and Sikkim, for instance recorded a spike in spousal violence cases. In Bihar, the cases of physical violence almost halved during a woman’s pregnancy in the last five years. Factsheets for the...

-The Hindu What we have done so far, and what all remains to be done The global pandemic is marching on. As I had said at the JRD Tata Oration, hosted by the Population Foundation of India on its 50th anniversary, of the lessons I have learned over the last nine or 10 months, the most important one is the significance of investing in public health and primary healthcare. Countries that invested...

-Frontline.in Crimes against Dalits continued to rise despite a nationwide lockdown and the coronavirus pandemic. The National Dalit Movement for Justice (NDMJ) has documented more than 100 cases of atrocities from April to June that include lynchings, untouchability practices, mass atrocities and violence against Dalit women. In Maharashtra, rumours were spread about a Dalit man and his family being COVID positive. They were attacked and asked to leave the village. In Haryana,...

A recent survey conducted by National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) -- a Delhi-based non-profit organisation -- shows how persons with disabilities in the country were disproportionately affected by the COVID–19 crisis. The report by NCPEDP has observed that persons with disabilities, particularly those from economically deprived sections, went through severe hardship during the lockdown. Without sufficient access to food or money, many of them faced hunger...

-United Nations News UN chief António Guterres is calling for measures to address a “horrifying global surge in domestic violence” directed towards women and girls, linked to lockdowns imposed by governments responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a reference to his repeated appeals for a ceasefire in conflicts around the world, to focus on the shared struggle to overcome the virus, the Secretary-General pointed out that violence is not confined to the...