Intimate partner violence among South-Asian women : A scoping review of understanding and safeguards in modern marriages

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is defined as a physical, sexual, or psychological form of violence by a male partner and is the most predominant form of violence against women globally. Violence always causes mental, physical, and emotional issues, causing substantial global public health concerns. Quantitative and qualitative studies were used for the review. A total of 163 research papers were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Sciences, Scopus, and Embase databases, and 14 papers were selected as relevant for the review. Among 14 studies, 12 were published in India, one from Pakistan, and one from Nepal. We found that IPV is highly prevalent with substance abuse, dowry system, male dominance, and spousal coercion leading to severe health problems. Utilising Intra Uterine devices (IUDs) as contraceptives, economic and electronic media empowerment, help-seeking behaviour as well as using the healthcare system enables safeguarding women from IPV.