Violence against women comes in many forms and from various sources. One that is not highlighted enough is the violence they face from their birth family or natal kin, that is parents, siblings or close relatives. A New Delhi based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Shakti Shalini, recently brought out an incisive report, Unkahi the Unspoken, documenting the rise of violence against women from natal families during the pandemic.

Normally the natal family is the one a woman turns to for help, but during the pandemic staying at home did not always mean staying safe. Since we are conditioned to the idea that elders and immediate kin offer protection and physical and emotional safety, to name and shame them is not easy. Shakti Shalini's study was based on women who approached the NGO for help during the pandemic, aged between 18 and 27 years, with 65% belonging to the 22 to 27 age group.

A majority belonged to the working and lower middle classes. Media reports highlighted a rise in marital violence, but single women living with their natal families reported similar experiences.

Natal family violence is structurally based in society and needs a structural approach; the family is as much an environment of abuse of its vulnerable members, especially girls and women. All the women reported emotional abuse and psychological trauma; fifteen out of twenty faced physical and verbal violence including being slapped, three reported physical abuse, and one was threatened with forced marriage. In 60% of the cases the persons who caused harm were both male and female relatives.