UP experiences 14% rise in violence against girls and women over 4 years: Study

Violence against girls and women in country’s most populous state Uttar Pradesh rose from 23.5 percent in 2015-16 to 51 percent in 2018-19, while the sexual violence increased from 30 percent to 48 percent in the same period, based on a new study with survey on 10,100 adolescents.

The UDAYA (Understanding the lives of adolescents and young adults) study by NGO Population Council was carried out on 10,100 adolescents in Uttar Pradesh in 2015-16. These same set of adolescents were re- interviewed in 2018-19.

“In 2015-16, physical violence with married girls (15-19 years) was recorded at 23.5 percent which more than doubled and shot up to 51 percent in 2018-19. In 2015-16, sexual violence was recorded at 30 percent, increased up to 48 percent. Emotional violence in 2015-16 was recorded at 19 percent, which increased to 35 percent,” the study said.

The study also features married girls of 15-19 years in UP to experienced 3 percent of internet harassment in 2015-19, which increased to 4.8 percent in 2018-19.

The population Council plans to extend the study to other sates of the country as well.