One In Five Unnatural Women's Deaths Due To Gender Violence In Mumbai, Finds Study

Gender violence has been a growing concern in India, with a large population of women being subjected to some or the other form of violence due to their gender. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) describes gender-based violence (GBV) as the "most pervasive yet least visible human rights violation in the world." It could include physical, sexual, mental, or even economic harm inflicted on an individual just because of their socially ascribed gender. Reflecting on the severity of such acts of violence, the KEM hospital's forensic department conducted a first-of-its-kind autopsy-based study on female deaths due to unnatural causes in Mumbai.

Deaths Termed "Accidental"

The study analysed 6,190 autopsies conducted between 2017 and 2022 at the KEM Hospital in Parel. Based on the analysis, they found that women comprised 24 per cent (1,467) of the victims, out of which 840 had died of unnatural causes. Among those who died of unnatural causes, 21 per cent (181) had an underlying history or indication of being victims of gender-based violence. Head of KEM's forensic department, Dr Harish Pathak, presented the data by saying most fatalities were due to suicide (85), followed by accidents (86) and homicide (10).

Gender violence is not easy to prove as victims would try to exonerate their husbands or family members even in their dying statements. Dr Pathak noted that many women patients who were found to have consumed disinfectant liquids stated that they had done so "accidentally."

This is commonly seen among the victims as they claim to have ingested poison or suffered burns accidentally. The study was able to point out, with data, that domestic violence led to over 20 per cent of female deaths. The findings prompted the state minister for women and child development, Mangal P Lodha, to announce the setting up of a committee to probe further into cases of gender-based violence. The cases would be analysed under the chairmanship of KEM Hospital dean Dr Sangeeta Ravat, and jointly the committee would look at appropriate response measures.

Other Findings Of Study

The committee will have representation from various sectors, from medical to police personnel. Medical professionals have been able to collate information in the form of the study and conveyed that 99 per cent of gender-based violence deaths occurred within homes or private spaces. This information would add on in terms of reaching out to victims rightly and helping them understand the legal provisions that safeguard their rights and lives, as reported by The Times Of India.

The report also looked into the leading causes of death in such cases and was able to find that burns were the cause in 58 per cent of the deaths. About 20 per cent of cases were related to hanging, 16 per cent were due to poisoning, three per cent lost their lives by jumping from a height, and another three per cent was murder. Hanging was becoming a commonly seen method as fire accelerants such as kerosene were no longer easily available. Dr Pathak notes that over the years, "The number of suicides has not reduced, but the methodology has changed."

Dr Vinita Puri, head of the KEM Hospital's plastic surgery department, said that the organisation's burn wards was set up in 1980 only for women and children because of the "social issue of women getting burnt." All the victims, in their dying statements called the fire accidental, even though they had suffered over 80 to 90 per cent burns, right from their face to toes. Giving a perspective on this, the doctors claim that one does not suffer such extensive burns unless there is a fire accelerant such as kerosene. Dr Arti Singh, the Mumbai additional commissioner of police, noted that considering the history is also important in such cases from the policing point of view.

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