Why Kashmir’s Battered Women Want Orders From Reluctant Courts To Share Households With Their Abusers

Many battered women in Kashmir appeal to courts to pass what is called a ‘residence order’, a right under the domestic violence law, which allows a woman to reside in her matrimonial home. They do this because the region has no shelter homes or safety nets, and women who return to their parents’ homes face social stigma. But courts hesitate to pass such orders because implementation involves government infrastructure, such as security, and sensitisation of the police, both in short supply.