At a time when the suspected dowry death case of actor-model Twisha Sharma has sparked nationwide outrage, the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) 2023-24, released on Friday, shows a decline in spousal violence in Punjab.
In the category of spousal violence against women aged 18 to 49 years, including physical and sexual violence, Punjab has witnessed an improvement of 3.1 per cent.
While the NFHS-5 recorded spousal violence at 11.6 per cent, the NFHS-6 places it at 8.7 per cent, indicating that nearly nine out of every 100 married women in the state are subjected to spousal violence. However, violence during pregnancy has witnessed a marginal rise of 0.2 per cent in Punjab.
Nationally, the prevalence of domestic violence declined from 29.2 per cent to 22.3 per cent, while the rate of child marriage dropped from 23.3 per cent to 20.1 per cent.
Among the worst-performing states on spousal violence indicators are Bihar (36.1 per cent), Telangana (30.8 per cent), Tamil Nadu (28.5 per cent), Uttar Pradesh (28.5 per cent), Jharkhand (27 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (21.4 per cent) and Rajasthan (20.8 per cent).
The national capital, Delhi, showed significant improvement, with spousal violence declining from 22.5 per cent in the NFHS-5 to 12.3 per cent in the NFHS-6. The data also suggest a decline in spousal violence in Chandigarh by 1.2 percentage points, bringing it down to 8.5 per cent in the latest survey. Violence during pregnancy in Chandigarh stood at 3 per cent.
The NFHS-6 recorded a sharp rise in internet usage among women in Punjab. While 54.8 per cent of women reported internet access during NFHS-5 (2019-21), the latest survey found that 74.5 per cent of women now use the internet.
In a matter of concern, childbirth through caesarean section has risen from 38.5 per cent to 46.6 per cent. C-section deliveries were slightly higher among rural women at 47.1 per cent, compared with 45.8 per cent among urban women.
The report also indicates a rise in the proportion of underweight children below five years of age. The NFHS-6 recorded the figure at 23.7 per cent, compared with 16.9 per cent in the NFHS-5.
Obesity among both men and women has also risen by around four percentage points. Among men, obesity increased from 32.3 per cent in the NFHS-5 to 37.5 per cent in the NFHS-6. Among women, it increased from 40.8 per cent to 44.7 per cent.
High blood sugar levels among women emerged as another area of concern. The survey recorded the prevalence at 21.3 per cent in the NFHS-6, compared with 14.7 per cent in the NFHS-5, indicating that nearly 21 out of every 100 women aged 15 to 49 years have elevated blood sugar levels.
Nationally, the prevalence of domestic violence declined from 29.2 per cent to 22.3 per cent, while child marriage fell from 23.3 per cent to 20.1 per cent. Women’s participation in the workforce also improved, rising to 30.8 per cent from 25.4 per cent in the previous survey. Internet usage among women nearly doubled to 64.3 per cent, reflecting greater digital access and connectivity.
