In India, physical abuse by in-laws common during and after pregnancy
August 17th, 2010 - 1:00 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Aug 17 (ANI): Physical abuse and ill treatment by in-laws during and after pregnancy is a common occurrence in India, says a new study.
Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher Anita Raj and her team, found that more than one in four women in the low-income strata reported violence or other forms of maltreatment from in-laws during pregnancy or after giving birth.
Abuse ranged from denial of food during pregnancy to cutting access to medical care.
“These findings have critical implications for perinatal [intimate partner violence] prevention and intervention efforts with South Asian women and in cultural contexts where extended families form an important social unit,” the authors wrote.
While rates of physical abuse were relatively low, 20 percent of women reported that in-laws had insulted them or their families in front of others during their pregnancies.
In one interview included in the study, a 17-year-old Muslim woman says her in-laws “want a boy child, and as you know, I delivered [a] girl child. My sister-in-law has some uterus problems, so she is unable to conceive a child. Now my in-laws want me to deliver another child [a boy] and give the girl to my sister-in-law.”
The study brings to fore the need to screen family abuse and indicate that screening for in-law abuse also will likely improve the detection of abuse by husbands.
The study is published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal. (ANI)
- Mums abused in childhood more likely to have low-birth weight babies - Mar 30, 2011
- Borther cries foul, woman unable to bear boy child dies - Oct 20, 2011
- Unemployment affects physical and mental health of children - Oct 04, 2010
- Andhra man beats wife for carrying girl child - Apr 03, 2012
- Abused chicks likely to grow into bullies - Aug 10, 2011
- Rent-a-womb: India becoming surrogate pregnancy hub - Feb 15, 2011
- Indian's fight against child marriage in focus at Abu Dhabi fest - Oct 20, 2010
- Tripura trooper guns down five of family - Apr 28, 2012
- Mumbai suicide victim's sister-in-law arrested - Mar 14, 2011
- In-laws booked for Mumbai's triple-suicide case - Mar 12, 2011
- Married woman commits suicide, in-laws booked - Jan 28, 2012
- 16-year-old refuses to accept her child marriage - Apr 23, 2012
- School violence costs India yearly US$7.42 billion - Oct 26, 2010
- Early abuse tied to greater blues among children - Feb 06, 2010
- Abuse rates higher among deaf children: Study - Jan 19, 2011
Tags: anita raj, boston university school, boston university school of public health, extended families, family abuse, four women, girl child, income strata, intervention efforts, intimate partner violence, maltreatment, maternal and child health, maternal and child health journal, muslim woman, physical abuse, school of public health, sister in law, south asian women, uterus problems, violence prevention