Domestic violence remains a widespread yet under-addressed issue in India. Nearly one-third of all married women report experiencing spousal abuse, with many believing such treatment is justified. Most cases reported are those of physical violence. The numbers keep rising, despite many campaigns and government laws.
About 40% of every married women between the age group 15-49 years, have experienced at least one form of domestic violence (physical, sexual or emotional). In 2018, a CNN report declared India the most dangerous country in the world for women. However, the problem extends beyond national borders. For example, in November 2019, a video went viral on Twitter in which Jasmine Sultana, an Indian woman living in Sharjah, UAE, pleaded for help against her abusive husband. The video prompted swift intervention by Sharjah police, who arrested her husband and facilitated her return to India. Similarly, in August 2019, an Indian-origin man in the UK was sentenced to 22 months in prison for coercive control and domestic abuse under the UK’s Serious Crime Act.
The issue became even more pressing during the COVID-19 lockdown in India. According to India Today (2020), 58 new complaints were registered via email with the National Commission for Women (NCW) in the first week of lockdown alone, highlighting the increased vulnerability of victims in confined domestic spaces.
Although most reports focus on women, there is growing evidence that men can also be victims of domestic abuse– yet legal recognition and support for male survivors remain virtually non-existent. Apart from analysing several case studies, research into the country’s by-laws revealed that the support system were ineffective, citing marital rape as legal (as long as the wife was above the age of 15) and only referring to women as victims of the abuse.
Using this research, the project is a direct response to the following question:
How do outdated legal frameworks in India
contribute to the dismissal of marital rape and
reinforce gender bias on domestic abuse?
Unlike many awareness campaigns that depict graphic scenes of abuse, this project addresses the issue at a legal and systemic level– focusing on the ineffectiveness and outdated nature of Indian laws surrounding domestic and marital abuse.
The visual language of the poster draws inspiration from the Constitution of India, mimicking its hand-drawn qualities, decorative borders, and traditional colour palette.
MARITAL ABUSE
This opening section defines what constitutes marital abuse. As the narration unfolds, the flowers lining the left border bloom, releasing frame-by-frame drawn spiders and snakes to crawl over the spread. These creatures– animated frame by frame and coloured in deep red to resemble sindoor– serve as metaphors for the archaic and persistent nature of these laws. They move steadily across the poster, visually disrupting the otherwise structured layout, before retreating back into the flowers.
This section details Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code and is associated with domestic abuse in India. The text is presented verbatim, with key phrases highlighted. Following this, a call-out in the secondary typeface is depicted to explain the ignored aspect of the laws wherein men are failed to be recognised as domestic abuse victims. Simultaneously, the blooming of the flowers and the release of snakes and spiders continues, increasing as the animation progresses.
This section focuses on the legal definition of rape under Section 375, drawing attention to the clause that excludes marital rape– as long as the wife is over 15 years of age. Similar to the previous section, As the section develops, the infestation of creatures overwhelms the spread, obscuring the text itself. This visual approach represents how societal norms and legal neglect work together to silence victims, normalise abuse and render the law ineffective. The final call-out addresses the inadequacy of the laws, urging for a call for reform. The animation ends with the project's objective depicted as a closing note, with the creatures spread out and dominating the entire layout.
The animated poster employs two primary typefaces: Snell Roundhand and Pill Gothic 900mg, with Ivy Mode as a secondary typeface.
Snell Roundhand, with its cursive, script-like quality, is used to title the laws, echoing the handwritten calligraphy found in the Constitution of India. Ivy Mode, with its subtle serif appearance and geometric characteristics, is used to quote the laws. Both typefaces balance well together to reinforce the authoritative yet archaic tone of the legal language. In contrast, Pill Gothic 900mg, a bold and modern sans-serif, is adopted to highlight the overlooked or ignored aspects of these laws. Its strong, contemporary presence disrupts the traditional tone, drawing attention to the urgent need for reform in India’s legal framework on domestic and marital abuse.