U’khand tops Himalayan states in violence against women during pregnancy: NFHS-6

Dehradun: The latest National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) for Uttarakhand shows improvements in several indicators related to women’s empowerment, with the overall rate of violence against women declining from 15.3% in NFHS-5 (2019-21) to 13.7% in NFHS-6 (2023-24), a drop of 1.6%. However, the other two indicators under the survey’s gender-based violence category registered an increase, pointing to persistent concerns despite the overall decline.According to the survey, the proportion of ever-married women aged 18-49 who experienced physical violence during any pregnancy rose from 2.1% in NFHS-5 to 3.5% in NFHS-6, an increase of 1.4%. Uttarakhand recorded the “highest” percentage in this category among Himalayan states with comparable geography and population.The survey also found an increase in the proportion of young women aged 18-29 who experienced sexual violence before the age of 18. The figure rose from 0.3% in NFHS-5 to 1.1% in NFHS-6, an increase of 0.8%. Among Himalayan states, Uttarakhand’s figure was second to Arunachal Pradesh, which reported 1.1% despite a decline from 3.0% in NFHS-5.Under the indicator measuring ever-married women aged 18-49 who have experienced spousal violence (physical and/or sexual violence), at least four Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand, continued to record double-digit prevalence rates, the survey showed.Among the Himalayan states, Mizoram recorded an increase in overall violence against women, rising from 10.3% in NFHS-5 to 11.4% in NFHS-6. Tripura registered a decline from 20.7% to 19.1%, while Assam recorded one of the sharpest reductions, falling from 32.2% to 16.2%. Arunachal Pradesh also reported a decline, from 24.9% to 17.8%.Several Himalayan states reported single-digit prevalence of violence against women in NFHS-6. Nagaland recorded a decline from 6.5% to 4.0%, while Ladakh saw a substantial drop from 17.7% to 1.9%. Sikkim’s figure fell from 12.4% to 4.6%, Jammu and Kashmir reported a decline from 9.7% to 3.4%, and Himachal Pradesh recorded a reduction from 8.6% to 4.3%.