Violence against women is as high as 45 per cent in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, experts at the National Conference on Fertility Regulation and Women’s Health organized in the city.
The recent National Family and Health Survey of 2015 showed that 43 women out of 100 in both the states experienced spousal violence. Of these 5.9 per cent women experienced violence during pregnancy.
Dr Shanta Kumari, secretary of the Indian College of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society, a core member of the Federation of Obstetri-cians and Gynaecologists of India, said, “We see cases of women who have suffered from sexual violence relating to unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortions and neglected pregnancies. These women come to us with these issues and are mostly in the age-group of 18 to 45 years. Our objective is to help them open up about their problems so that we can help them both in the physical sense as well as with regard to the mental trauma that they suffer from.”
Dr Krishnendu Gupta, obstetrician and gynecologist, said, “Many a time we find that the woman does not want to go to the police and talk about this violence as it will bring social stigma to the family. They talk to gynaecologists because they attend to the physical abuse and treat it. Some of them open up about mental trauma. Counseling the couple and dealing with their issues in private is the aim.”
