DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES- A CASE STUDY FOR MALE VERSUS FEMALE

Domestic violence is still ranked among the most pervasive but complicated human rights and socio-legal problems throughout the jurisdictions. Conventionally viewed as violence against women, the concept has gradually come to include the victimization of men also, thus provoking the gendered underpinnings of domestic violence policies. The present paper represents a critical legal and socio-empirical appraisal of the problems of domestic violence and its impacts by comparing the issues related to the male and female victims. It discusses the conceptual framework of domestic violence, its physical, emotional, sexual, and economic aspects and appraises conflicting theoretical approaches, e.g., the feminist theory, the patriarchal theory and the gender-neutral family violence theory. The paper examines both the international legal system, the UN and tools used to address the issue, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the domestic legal framework in India, specifically the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and provisions of the Indian Penal Code. The structural asymmetries found in legal recognition, enforcement mechanisms, and remedies available to male and female victims are determined using doctrinal and comparative analysis. In addition, the paper assesses psychological, social, economic, and legal impacts of domestic violence on both sexes, including the problem of under-reporting, social stigma, regarding the misuse debates, and institutional bias. It claims that gender-specific legislation came as a remedial measure against historic discrimination; a degree of balancing is, however, required in light of changing social realities, which guarantee both substantive equality and inclusion. The paper ends with recommendations to enact limited legal changes, enhance institutional protective measures and the need to adopt a rights-based model in which domestic violence is seen as a human issue that cuts across the fixed gender dichotomies. Keywords: Domestic Violence, Gender Neutrality, Male Victimization, PWDVA 2005, Gender Justice, Socio-Legal Consequences, Indian Legal Framework.