Domestic Violence Act, 2005

A woman in Navi Mumbai is not allowed to keep her own salary, is told to leave the flat whenever there is an argument, and is shouted at in front of the children. No one has been hit, and no police officer would call it a crime. Yet she is being harmed. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 was written for exactly this gap: it gives her quick civil remedies, such as protection, a place to live and money, from a Magistrate, without first having to prove a criminal offence.

In two minutes

The Domestic Violence Act 2005 gives a woman in a domestic relationship quick civil remedies from a Magistrate, including protection, residence, monetary relief, custody and compensation orders, and it defines violence widely enough to cover emotional and economic abuse.

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