Sexual Violence within Marriage: Experience of Female Migrants in Low Income Communities of India

Soumya Mohanty, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

The link between migration, lower SES, and limited power, which are major determinants of sexual violence, elevated risk for HIV transmission, may be greater among migrant women. Further, the nexus between alcohol consumption and its effect on poor sexual decision making, unsafe sex, multiple partners, and increased sexual experimentation, has been extensively established through empirical study relying on self-report survey data. However, research on factors associated with married women’s ability to manage sexual relations with spouse is limited. This paper analyzes the factors affecting married female migrant’s ability to influence their sexual experience within marriage, specifically sexual communication with spouse. It also examines the extent to which alcohol consumption by husband leads to sexual violence and affects their sexual health. The paper is based on quantitative data collected from 513 female migrants and few in-depth interviews conducted in eight densely populated slums of Mumbai, India.