Women are not well in West Bengal. And given the prevalent attitude in the state towards their condition, there is very little chance of their getting better anytime soon. A recent report on the performance of the states in combating domestic violence shows that Bengal has failed to put in place even the rudiments of the system envisaged by the legislation passed at least a year ago. As is its wont, the state has blamed the Centre for not releasing enough funds for the appointment of protection officers in the districts. However, that anomaly does not seem to have discouraged states like Andhra Pradesh and Delhi from going ahead with the prescribed plan of action, and getting an immediate result in the sharp increase in the number of registered cases of domestic violence. This is a major achievement and the first step in addressing a social crime that is made invisible by its acceptability and the victims’ voicelessness. West Bengal has seen a perceptible increase in such cases, which have gone up steeply since 2000. It should have, expectedly, shown a little more initiative on this score. Unfortunately, its administration is the victim of an incurable disease — an appalling apathy and sloth that make it impervious to and suspicious of any innovation in governance. This attitude was manifest during the implementation of the Right to Information Act, which the administration tried its best to keep at bay through misinformation and inaction. That attitude seems to have got the better of it again. The government would rather have shalishi courts continue to pronounce on domestic violence than enable women to reach the law courts and get a just hearing.

This irresponsibility is criminal, particularly in a state where women are forced to bear the brunt of the government’s abysmal performance in education and healthcare, both of which contribute to their disempowerment. The National Family Health Survey has shown how early marriage and early motherhood, a spill out of the lack of focus on women’s education, make them susceptible to domestic violence. The presence of trained state officials, sensitive to their vulnerabilities, could make a substantial difference to women by giving them confidence to speak up against a social crime. But for a government which sees any change as an intrusion and a threat to its long-held power, a concerted action for women’s welfare is probably too much of an effort.