Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a dire and pervasive issue globally with 1 in 3 women affected in their lifetime. While it is widespread nationally across India, Mumbai remains a hotspot for crimes against women. In 2021, Mumbai recorded 5,543 cases of crimes against women, marking a stark 21% rise from the previous year. In its most extreme form, the form of GBV that results in deaths of women and girls is femicide. In India, the forms of violence against women and girls that fit within the definition of femicide include domestic violence, honor killings, dowry deaths, and infanticide. However, no comprehensive data is available regarding estimates of femicide rates.
A new report “Analysis of deaths due to Gender-based violence: An autopsy-based cross-sectional study from Mumbai”, from Seth G.S. Medical College and KEM Hospital, in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health Initiative, summarizes key findings from a study that analyzed data for five years from an autopsy center in Mumbai for over 1,460 cases of female deaths showed that 12.3% of those cases had a history indicative of GBV.
Key findings included that most of the victims were found to have died by suicide or accidents, followed by homicide; and two-thirds of the women who died were married and six out of ten deaths were perpetrated by husbands or intimate partners.
Strengthening surveillance for GBV survivors in Mumbai: Vital Strategies in partnership with Public Health Department, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation developed the monitoring and evaluation framework for the one-stop centres in the city of Mumbai. The reporting formats were updated and digitized to optimize the data workflows across all 12 one-stop centres in the city. In 2023, one-stop centers in Mumbai screened and counseled 15,406 women and 1,251 children for GBV. Of those, 1,707 women (11%) and 530 children (42%) were affected by GBV. Based on the findings, services for GBV survivors ( primary screening, counselling and referral) were extended to all 30 maternity homes in the city.
The Vital Strategies Brazil team conducted a workshop in Mozambique to train local institutions in the use of data matching techniques. The meeting brought together more than 30 government representatives and highlighted the potential of this methodology to improve the quality of information on gender-based violence in the country.
Workshop led by experts from Brazil which brought together representatives from five countries to discuss opportunities for improving mortality data on women victims of violence.
Held in New York City, the VitalTalks event had a panel with the presence of female Brazilian experts and was part of the Women Deliver 2023 Global Dialogue.
