35 per cent women face physical violence in India:UN body

New Delhi, July 8 (PTI) Thirty-five per cent of women
in India face physical violence while 10 per cent of them
suffer sexual violence from their intimate partners at home,
according to a UN study.
Thirty-nine per cent of men and women in India also
think that it is "sometimes or always" justifiable for a man
to beat his wife, the study carried out by UN Women -- a newly
created body -- said in a report released here.
"It was found that 35 per cent of respondents in India
have reported to be victims of physical violence by their
intimate partners, while 10 per cent of respondents were
victims of sexual violence by their intimate partners," it
said.
Quoting findings of a survey undertaken by an NGO, the
first flagship report of the world body said 68 per cent of
the respondents felt that provocative clothing was an
invitation to rape.
The UN body, which examined plights of women in
countries across the world in the report, deplored minuscule
three per cent representation of women in India's judicial
system.
"India significantly lags behind the rest of the
world, with women making up just three per cent of judges.
Women judges are under-represented in most of the courts in
the country," the global report said.
Releasing the report, Assistant Secretary General of
UN Women Lakshmi Puri termed it as "disappointing" the meagre
representation of women in India's judicial system saying
gender equality was "key" for ensuring justice to the victims.
The report said "discriminatory attitudes among the
police and judges mean that women are often reluctant to
report crimes".