Mapping Legislative Changes

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, (PWDVA) is a special civil law aimed at effective protection of the rights of women guaranteed under the Constitution who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within the family. 26 October 2016 marked the tenth anniversary of the enforcement of the PWDVA. The chapter examines the trajectory of legal developments that culminated in the enactment of the PWDVA as well as the gaps in the legal regime that the enactment of this law sought to overcome. Tracing the history of the women’s rights movement and its engagement with equality and violence against women, the author details the sustained campaign, spanning nearly a decade, by the Indian women’s movement, the drafting of the PWDVA by Lawyers Collective in consultation with the women’s movement and the challenges in its enactment.